Denel (Pty) Ltd2003-06-23 12:00:24
DENEL ASSISTS WITH MARS SPACE MISSION
Thursday, June 19, 2003
South Africa's Denel Group was last week contracted on behalf of Boeing by SAC (the CSIR's Satellite Application Centre) to provide critical mission assistance during the launch of the "Mars Exploration Rover� (MER). Deploying one of its mobile telemetry systems to Oshikati in northern Namibia, Denel's OTB advanced test range near Bredasdorp in the Western Cape was able to monitor and relay data of the Delta II launcher's second and third stage separation shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, United States.
The MARS Exploration Rover (MER) was launched after two delays on Tuesday, 10 June at 17:58 GMT on its seven month-long journey to Mars. It is expected to execute a soft landing on the planet during January 2004. This new generation robot, weighing 185 kilogrammes, is equipped to undertake geological surveys of the Mars surface. NASA is planning a second Rover launch on June 25, 2003 to a different area of Mars.
"We're particularly proud of having successfully assisted NASA's Mars mission for which OTB had to deploy sophisticated equipment over a long distance to a remote place at very short notice,� says Dr Jan Malan, OTB General Manager. "Having thus recognized OTB's capabilities in this area, the international space community is bound to place similar contracts on us in future.�
Denel OTB has become a logical choice to provide assistance to international space programmes due to its well-established high-end technology facilities and location. Whereas space missions usually rely on fixed satellite ground stations in several parts of the world for tracking purposes, the Mars mission involved a different orbit that left a gap in the tracking of the launcher over Southern Africa.
According to Dr Jan Malan, OTB's telemetry systems developed for South Africa's erstwhile embryonic space programme, could fill the gap thus enabling NASA to ascertain the successful separation of the space vehicle's second and third stages. OTB received the first signals within seconds of the expected appearance at 18:26 GMT and managed to track the Delta II launcher for six minutes, constantly relaying the data via satellite to NASA. The CSIR's Satellite Application Centre (SAC) near Hartebeeshoek in Gauteng covered the subsequent part of the orbit over Southern Africa.
"I'm convinced the international space community has taken renewed interest in our abilities and high technology facilities,� Dr Jan Malan concludes. "This will ensure greater involvement for South Africa - and Denel - in the high technology field of space exploration.�
Thursday, June 19, 2003
South Africa's Denel Group was last week contracted on behalf of Boeing by SAC (the CSIR's Satellite Application Centre) to provide critical mission assistance during the launch of the "Mars Exploration Rover� (MER). Deploying one of its mobile telemetry systems to Oshikati in northern Namibia, Denel's OTB advanced test range near Bredasdorp in the Western Cape was able to monitor and relay data of the Delta II launcher's second and third stage separation shortly after lift-off from Cape Canaveral in Florida, United States.
The MARS Exploration Rover (MER) was launched after two delays on Tuesday, 10 June at 17:58 GMT on its seven month-long journey to Mars. It is expected to execute a soft landing on the planet during January 2004. This new generation robot, weighing 185 kilogrammes, is equipped to undertake geological surveys of the Mars surface. NASA is planning a second Rover launch on June 25, 2003 to a different area of Mars.
"We're particularly proud of having successfully assisted NASA's Mars mission for which OTB had to deploy sophisticated equipment over a long distance to a remote place at very short notice,� says Dr Jan Malan, OTB General Manager. "Having thus recognized OTB's capabilities in this area, the international space community is bound to place similar contracts on us in future.�
Denel OTB has become a logical choice to provide assistance to international space programmes due to its well-established high-end technology facilities and location. Whereas space missions usually rely on fixed satellite ground stations in several parts of the world for tracking purposes, the Mars mission involved a different orbit that left a gap in the tracking of the launcher over Southern Africa.
According to Dr Jan Malan, OTB's telemetry systems developed for South Africa's erstwhile embryonic space programme, could fill the gap thus enabling NASA to ascertain the successful separation of the space vehicle's second and third stages. OTB received the first signals within seconds of the expected appearance at 18:26 GMT and managed to track the Delta II launcher for six minutes, constantly relaying the data via satellite to NASA. The CSIR's Satellite Application Centre (SAC) near Hartebeeshoek in Gauteng covered the subsequent part of the orbit over Southern Africa.
"I'm convinced the international space community has taken renewed interest in our abilities and high technology facilities,� Dr Jan Malan concludes. "This will ensure greater involvement for South Africa - and Denel - in the high technology field of space exploration.�
For more information contact:
PO Box 8322
Centurion
0046
South Africa
Tel: +27 12 671-2700
Fax: +27 12 671-2793
