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Astrium delivers its 1000th satellite engine

• Engines built in Lampoldshausen are number one in the global market
• 10-Newton thrusters enable exact flight path and positioning adjustments
• Astrium specialists are at home at launching sites around the world

Lampoldshausen, 17 December 2007

Astrium delivered the 1000th 10-Newton satellite thruster today. The engine was presented to Thales Alenia Space at a ceremony attended by State Secretary Richard Drautz of Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. It will be used to propel the W2A communication satellite.

The 10-Newton thruster is one of Astrium’s most successful products, with almost all European satellite launches using engines built in Lampoldshausen. Engineers at the site develop and produce fully preassembled propulsion systems for sophisticated telecommunications satellites and numerous European Earth observation and science satellites. Germany’s TerraSAR-X radar satellite, the Herschel space telescope and the Mars and Venus Express space probes are all equipped with 10-N thrusters from Baden-Württemberg.

10-Newton thrusters are not designed to provide major propulsive force, but rather carefully measured impulses that help satellites and space probes to reach and maintain their final flight path and position. This requires a high level of precision and reliability throughout the satellite’s lifecycle of up to 15 years. To ensure the longest possible satellite lifecycle and reduce weight to a minimum, Astrium developed the UPS (Unified Propulsion System) in Lampoldshausen. The system has successfully combined 14 to 16 small 10-Newton thrusters that regulate flight path and positioning with a 400-Newton apogee engine. The system, which is fuelled from two tanks, has been under constant development since 1994.

By deciding to offer complete propulsion systems, Lampoldshausen has been able to strengthen its position considerably, particularly in the European telecommunications market. Astrium meanwhile holds an approximately 90 percent share in this market. All major European satellite platforms are now being equipped with propulsion systems from Lampoldshausen. Astrium delivers six to eight systems a year, and 62 systems have been installed so far. This includes the 1000th 10-Newton thruster to be produced since the introduction of system development at the site.

Not only does Astrium Lampoldshausen manufacture propulsion systems for use in space, the company also offers all the services required to ensure a successful launch. The company’s experts provide customer support at launch sites around the world, including Kourou in French Guiana, Cape Canaveral in the USA, Plesetzk in Russia and Baikonur in Kazakhstan. They help install the satellites in the launchers, fuel the satellites, and conduct final tests on the propulsion systems before the satellite can be cleared for launch. Fuels are prepared at Astrium’s own site for use in spacecraft, then delivered to each launch site. Specially trained fuelling teams are also made available at each launch site, along with fuelling and checkout facilities.

Astrium in Lampoldshausen is now perfectly set up to meet its customers’ needs and wishes. “The decision to establish a process chain for system solutions in Lampoldshausen – from development to production and implementation – has provided Astrium with a major competitive advantage in the telecommunications market,” says Dr. Holger Wentscher, director of the Lampoldshausen site. In addition to an increasing number of orders, the switch to system development has created 100 new jobs in Lampoldshausen since 2004. Today, 245 employees work at the site. “The Astrium site makes an important contribution to the economy in the state of Baden-Württemberg, particularly the Lampoldshausen region,” says State Secretary Richard Drautz of Baden-Württemberg’s Ministry of Economic Affairs. Over 100 companies in the state of Baden-Württemberg supply or cooperate with Astrium, 30 of them from the Lampoldshausen region.

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2006, Astrium had a turnover of €3.2 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are: the business units Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of €39.4 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116, 000.

Media contacts:

Mathias Pikelj
Tel.: +49 (0) 7545 8 91 23

Viola Armbrecht
Tel.: +49 (0) 89 607 26051