AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
UPDATE
March 2018
McIlvaine Company
Airbus Portsmouth Opens Cleanroom to Showcase Revolutionary Satellite
Game-changing Eutelsat Quantum 3.5-ton satellite, manufactured by Airbus and
Surrey Satellite Technology, is a 'quantum leap' in design.
Airbus has opened its cleanroom facility in Portsmouth, UK, to showcase the
Eutelsat Quantum satellite, a revolutionary telecommunications spacecraft
currently being built at the factory. British astronaut Tim Peake and Cleanroom
Technology were among the selected guests.
Eutelsat Quantum is described as the world’s first geostationary
telecommunications satellite that will be fully reconfigurable in orbit. It is
being developed under a public-private partnership between the European Space
Agency (ESA), Airbus and satellite operator Eutelsat. Airbus is also
manufacturing partner alongside Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL).
Upon completion, Eutelsat Quantum will be the first generation of universal
satellites able to serve any region of the world and adjust to new business
without the user needing to procure and launch an entirely new satellite.
Featuring phased array antennas and flexible connectivity, which is fully
reconfigurable in orbit, Eutelsat Quantum will be able to adjust its coverage
and capacity to suit customers’ needs as and when they change.
It builds on the payload technology developed by Airbus in the UK under the ESA
Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems program (ARTES) and supported by
the UK Space Agency.
The payload is under construction in Airbus's ISO Class 8 cleanroom, which has
recently been refurbished with new LED lighting and floor surfacing.
The positive pressure atmosphere in the cleanroom ensures that unwanted foreign
particles that could potentially damage critical components are minimized and
removed. The controlled environment also protects against damaging electrostatic
forces as well as the out-gassing of any materials. A frequency of radiation
emitted by some machinery also must be avoided.
Investment in cleanrooms for satellite production has grown in recent years as
the industry is booming. Airbus also operates cleanrooms in Stevenage (UK) and
in Toulouse, (France), where the Eutelsat Quantum satellite will go for final
testing before it is transported to the launch site.
Other guests at the event included: Graham Turnock, head of the UK Space Agency,
Yohann Leroy, deputy CEO and CTO of Eutelsat, Simon Weinberg, Quantum project
manager at ESA, Colin Paynter, head of Airbus Space UK and Sarah Parker,
managing director of SSTL.
“We’re working together with industry to grow the UK’s share of the global space
market, as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy,” commented Dr. Turnock.
He continued: “It was fantastic to visit Airbus alongside Tim Peake and meet the
team behind this world-first satellite. The UK invests more than any other
country in ESA’s telecommunications research program and the work going on in
Portsmouth is a great example of the benefits this brings.”
Commenting on the project, Eutelsat’s Leroy, said: “Eutelsat Quantum is the 24th
satellite to be manufactured by Airbus for Eutelsat, building on a long-standing
and innovative collaboration spanning more than 40 years between our two Groups.
Combining flexibility and performance, the Eutelsat Quantum will bring a truly
revolutionary shift to the commercial telecommunications satellite sector to
meet the multiple and evolving needs of our customers.”
As well as visiting the cleanroom to see the satellite, Tim Peake took time to
speak to apprentices and graduates at Airbus as well as meeting other employees.
Airbus’ Colin Paynter, head of space in the UK, commented: “It was great to
welcome Tim to Portsmouth where we build world leading telecommunication
payloads for satellites. Quantum is a truly disruptive technology with the
ability to be fully flexible and reconfigurable at any stage in its lifetime in
orbit.”
Lockheed Martin Announces Orlando Expansion
The $50 million investment will house the Research and Development II building
to support engineering, program management, and research and development
activities
Lockheed Martin, the American aerospace, defense, security and advanced
technologies company, has broken ground on a new office facility in Orlando. FL
and announced plans to hire about 1800 people in the next two years.
The new 255,000 sq. ft. site, will house the Research and Development II
building. The company said the project will cost US$50 million
"With this expansion, Lockheed Martin is further solidifying its already robust
presence in Florida and supporting our business growth," said Frank St. John,
Lockheed Martin missiles and fire control (MFC) executive VP.
He added: "The Research & Development II building underscores our customer
commitments to provide the most modern facilities for our talented workforce to
produce critical capabilities for the US and allies for years to come."
Employees working in the new building will support engineering, program
management and research and development activities for MFC, which primarily
designs, manufactures and supports advanced combat, missile, rocket, manned and
unmanned systems for customers including the US Department of Defense, NASA and
allied nations.
The staff at Lockheed Martin's MFC site in Orlando leads the aerospace and
defense industry in their experience with technologies related to
electro-optics, millimeter wave radar, image and signal processing, advanced
materials, electronic packaging and large-system integration.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs approximately
100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology
systems, products and services.
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