Galileosat System Test Bed (GSTB) first flight unit delivered

The first of three flight units, including one flight spare, of the Frequency Generator and Up-converter Unit (FGUU) for the Galileosat System Test Bed satellites successfully passed the Delivery Review Board (DRB) on 22nd December 2004.

The first flight unit, denoted the Proto Flight Model (PFM), has undergone extensive testing before the unit was cleared for shipment to EADS Astrium, Portsmouth, UK for integration in the satellite’s payload. The satellite launch is scheduled by end of 2005.

 

The three FGUU units are designed and manufactured by Norspace under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA), signed in August 2003. The function of the FGUU is to convert the navigation signals up to radio frequency prior to be amplified and transmitted by the satellite.

Eystein Sedberg, Norspace Project Manager, is praising the team of Norspace people for reaching this critical project milestone before the end of 2004, saying: “The testing of the unit has gone without a glitch, and the unit has performed exactly as expected thanks to the high quality of the design and manufacture of the unit and the associated test equipment”.

The second of the three units is already integrated and has been given the green light for start of the formal test campaign. Thanks to the successful testing of the first unit, this test campaign is expected to be shortened by up to several weeks. The last of the three units is completed in manufacturing and is undergoing final tuning before integration.

These two last flight units are both scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2005.