Thales Alenia Space ready to ship Brazil’s SGDC Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite to launch pad in French Guyana

Thales Alenia Space ready to ship Brazil’s SGDC Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite to launch pad in French Guyana

CANNES, 06-Feb-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — The dual use (civil and military) SGDC Geostationary Defense and Strategic Communications Satellite built by Thales Alenia Space for Brazil is ready to be shipped the Kourou launch pad in French Guyana to be launched by Ariane 5 rocket next March.

Thales Alenia Space signed the SGDC contract with Visiona (a joint venture between Embraer and Telebras) at the end of 2013. This program plays a key role in the Brazilian Space Agency’s Space (AEB) development plan, while also addressing the Ministry of Defense’s strategic requirements. It is designed to meet two main objectives: the implementation of a secure satellite communications system for the Brazilian armed forces and government; and support for the deployment of the National Broadband Plan (PNBL), coordinated by Telebras as operator, which aims to reduce the digital divide in the country. The SGDC program is an integral part of Brazil’s strategy to reinforce its independence and sovereignty.

The Brazilian Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning an ambitious technology transfer program, designed to support the development of Brazil’s own space program.

The win-win partnership between Thales Alenia Space and Brazil has been fruitful:

• Thales Alenia Space has established a unit at the San José dos Campos technology park in Brazil, to work more closely with its local customers and partners.
• It has met its skills transfer commitment, since over 30 Brazilians engineers have been trained in all space engineering techniques, supervised by the Thales Alenia Space program team.
• An aluminum battery support panel made by the Brazilian company CENIC is already integrated on the SGDC satellite.
• Technology transfert contracts with Brazilian industries are in progress in order to allow their involvment in the future space projects.

SOURCE: Thales Group

About Thales Alenia Space:
Thales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative space systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation, as well as space exploration. The company capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fast-evolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues exceeding 2.1 billion euros in 2015 and has 7,500 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Thales Alenia Space Press Contacts:

Sandrine Bielecki
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94
sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com

Chrystelle Dugimont
Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 74 06
chrystelle.dugimont@thalesaleniaspace.com