For planet earth and beyond
This month an Italian company based in Perugia is celebrating a decade of successful collaboration with ESA. RF Microtech has experienced remarkable growth in the last few years, which has put the medieval town – normally famous for its stunning scenery, legendary chocolate and its jazz festival – firmly on the technology map.
The second satellite to join the constellation that forms the European Data Relay System (EDRS) has finished fuelling and is days away from launch.
An app that integrates navigational data and weather conditions to improve flight safety for pilots has been launched. Its inventors hope to have a full commercial version on sale by the end of the year.
The race for in-orbit capacity for data transmission has been given a big helping hand with the development of the first large European Q/V-band reflector. The reflector, which was developed under ESA’s ARTES Advanced Technology (AT) programme, along with German Space subsystems specialist HPS GmbH is a significant step forward in the conception of terabit satellites.
The Harwell Space Cluster just outside Oxford now employs more than 1,000 people across 92 organisations – and a showcase event on 27 June emphasised that most of those taking part are receiving support from ESA for their growth plans.