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ESA's Spacecraft Managers Contain The 'Right Stuff'
Paris, France (ESA) Nov 22, 2006 They have a passion for space and are among the best engineers anywhere, managing missions worth billions of euro. But above all, ESA's Spacecraft Operations Managers are team leaders, working to motivate people and manage complex systems on the cutting edge of human knowledge. The successful launch and operation of any ESA mission requires a multi-disciplinary team working right across the agency and supported by industry and academia. However, it is the Spacecraft Operations Manager, the ubiquitous 'SOM', who is immediately responsible for day-to-day flight activities and for solving the myriad problems that inevitably arise when complex spacecraft voyage into the Solar System. About 19 men and women are presently working as SOMs on current and future ESA missions, comprising some of the most talented and qualified engineers in Europe. A SOM is assigned to each ESA mission, and he/she assembles a group of spacecraft engineers in each of the specialist areas, including power, thermal, telemetry and telecommand, to become the Flight Control Team, or FCT. "SOMs must form a team and then take responsibility; they must really care. You are responsible to both internal and external customers and your mission might be valued between about 400 million and 1 billion euro. We don't want to lose any of these missions, so the flight control team must be highly motivated and it's the SOM who makes that happen," says Manfred Warhaut, Head of ESA's Missions Operations Department at the agency's European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany.
Career as SOM includes education and experience There is no fixed path to becoming a SOM; while leadership and fundamental technical skills are shared in common, their educational and career backgrounds are as varied as ESA's expanding range of space missions demands. Related Links ESA All about the technology of space and more
ASTRIUM To Build New ASTRA Satellite
Betzdorf, Luxembourg (SPX) Nov 22, 2006SES ASTRA has announced that it has awarded the contract for the construction of its new satellite, ASTRA 3B, to the European satellite manufacturer ASTRIUM. As prime contractor for ASTRA 3B, ASTRIUM will design and build the satellite. ASTRA 3B will be a state-of-the-art Ku and Ka-band spacecraft designed for the distribution of both direct-to-home (DTH) broadcast services and two-way broadband services across Europe. |
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