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Helios IIA in orbit: Alcatel responsible for the main part of new military observation satellite

18 December 2004

The Helios IIA satellite was launched by an Ariane 5 on December 18, 2004 from the Guyana Space Center, in Kourou, French Guyana. The Helios II program is a second-generation military observation system developed by France in conjunction with Spain and Belgium, deploying two satellites in Sun-synchronous orbit. Operating in both the visible and infrared bands, it will supply day/night images to the French ministry of defense. Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA), was a key partner in the construction of the satellite with developing these instruments.

Alcatel Space built the very-high-resolution cameras for Helios I and II, allowing them to detect even the smallest objects of military interest, anywhere on the planet. Night and day, Alcatel Space also met the daunting challenge of developing an infrared camera for Helios II, capable of providing invaluable information on industrial, operational and other sites.

The High-Resolution Zoom (HRZ) is the new-generation high-resolution instrument developed for the Helios II satellite and the successor to the imaging system on Helios I. Prime contractor, Alcatel Space has been developing the instrument since 1993. It delivered the two flight models to EADS Astrium in late 2002 and mid-2004 for integration on Helios IIA and IIB.

Thanks to the quality of the optics and video subsystems, the exceptional stability of the structure and extremely precise instrument calibration, the high-resolution can be reached. The infrared channel, affords night observation and detection capabilities that Helios I did not do.

Alcatel's teams of Cannes, Toulouse and Valence were all involved in the construction of Helios IIA, along with our Belgium and Spanish subsidiaries, which supply components for the platform, the vehicle equipment bay and parts of the electrical power supply, the information processing architecture, pyrotechnics control unit and S-band transponders.

The Helios 2 program has benefited from Alcatel Space's extensive expertise in optical engineering, visible and infrared detection, mechanical and thermal architectures, cryogenics, and assembly, integration and test (AIT). The company has highly sophisticated analysis and testing tools and facilities, including a 600-cubic-metre optical vacuum chamber, the only one of its kind in Europe. These competencies and facilities would also prove a valuable asset for the possible future definition and development of Helios 2's successor.