Spacebel recently delivered ground software for the mini observatory sun "Picard"

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Spacebel recently delivered ground software for the mini observatory sun "Picard"

6 June 2009 No Comment

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The engineering company Liège Spacebel, developed the center’s scientific mission Picard, the 150 kg microsatellite whose mission will be to study solar activity. Two versions of the mission center were carried out successively to adapt to the integration of the satellite. Spacebel has just completed a successful delivery and installation of the final version to the observatory at Uccle plateau Uccle where the scientific data recorded by satellite will be treated. While waiting for the launching of Picard from Russia, on November 30, the mission center is used to test the whole system (satellite control center and center of mission).

The center of scientific expedition Picard fulfills various essential functions. It will provide the programming of the payload, ie scientific instruments aboard the satellite, and at the same time check the health of them. In addition, it will centralize all requests for acquisition of images, receive, process and archive the data collected by the instruments and make them available in science laboratories.

“Picard” concerns a scientific observation of the Sun which is in the pipeline Myriade Center National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency. Its purpose is twofold: firstly, knowledge of the operation and the physical structure of the star and, on the other hand, better understand the influence of solar activity on Earth’s climate. Named in honor of the french astronomer Jean Picard (1620-1682), who made the first precision measurements of the solar diameter in the seventeenth century, Picard will have a lifetime in orbit of 3 years. A team of 3 engineers worked for 2 years on this project, which represents a turnover of around 1.1 million. Based in Liege Science Park Angleur the company was founded in 1988 in the context of economic and political integration of Europe and the role of Belgium in space research.

By contributing to the success of many programs initiated by the European Space Agency, Spacebel has built a name in the space field. Its systems to measure and fit high performance platforms and instruments on board satellites, ground facilities for receiving, processing and dissemination of data recorded aboard the satellite, test benches and related products (simulators and emulators ) networks and satellite communications.

With the resumption of the Da Vinci in 1998, Spacebel has extended its activities to the enhancement of images taken by satellites to Earth observation. It develops and markets systems to support decision making for land management, environment, natural disasters.