Arctic_Weather_Satellite_pillars

AAC CLYDE SPACE SELECTED BY OHB SWEDEN FOR CORE AVIONICS

AAC CLYDE SPACE SELECTED BY OHB SWEDEN AS THE INTENDED SUPPLIER OF CORE AVIONICS FOR THE ESA ARCTIC WEATHER SATELLITE

AAC Clyde Space has been awarded a 68 kEUR (approx. 690 kSEK) contract with OHB Sweden. The contract aims to review the qualification status of the intended AAC Clyde Space’s core avionics for ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite. Given that the first phase is successful, the second phase which is expected to follow in around mid-2021 is expected to be worth approx. 950 kEUR (approx. 9.7 MSEK).

OHB Sweden is the prime contractor for the Arctic Weather Satellite, providing the satellite platform and system integration.

AAC Clyde Space is intended to provide Sirius command and data handling units and the Starbuck power system, with mission specific customizations. In the first phase, AAC Clyde Space will perform and deliver a status review of the systems to OHB Sweden.

A contract for the actual implementation in phase two is expected to be signed after the successful status review during the second quarter of 2021. Under this phase, an engineering model for the satellite is to be delivered in Q1, 2022 and a flight model in Q4, 2022.

This order comes on the back of the strong reputation that the Sirius and Starbuck systems have gained through their high performance, reliability and accessibility. We are delighted that our systems have been selected for this important prototype mission that aims to better understand the Earth’s environment,” says AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.

ESA’s Arctic Weather Satellite is an initial prototype mission that aims to demonstrate the usefulness of radiometric measurements to improve weather forecasts in the Arctic region. The final solution would involve a full constellation of satellites to provide more frequent measurement, something that cannot be achieved by the larger geostationary satellites already in use to depict the areas.