CLYDE Space, Scotland’s only space industry business, has struck a £150,000 deal to supply two flight model power systems to Turkey’s fledgling satellite programme.
The deal with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (Tubitak) will see Glasgow-based Clyde provide two flight model battery charge regulator systems for the launch of Rasat, the first Earth-observation satellite to be built and developed in Turkey.
The 120kg spacecraft is to be launched into a “700km sun-synchronous orbit” in late 2009.
Clyde Space, one of the world’s leading suppliers of small satellite power systems, has been capitalising on the growing demand for so-called nano and miniature satellites.
Craig Clark, who set up Clyde Space in 2006 with the help of Scottish Enterprise, said: “We were delighted to be part of the Rasat team and to supply our small satellite battery charge regulator to Tubitak.”
The battery charge regulator is specifically designed for use with lithium ion battery technology, and includes four 85-watt solar panel trackers and digital interface to battery and solar panel telemetry.
Clark added: “Lithium ion is still a relatively new technology to most spacecraft manufacturers, and our knowledge and experience in this area added significant value to the Rasat engineering team.”
Clark, who is based at Glasgow Science Park, last month revealed plans to turn his business into a multimillion-pound venture with the world’s first website selling Earth-orbiting satellites.
The website, which was launched in August, primarily targets the US market and offers credit card sales of satellites for research purposes.
The satellites, which put a futuristic spin on the notion of Clyde-built engineering, are all designed and manufactured at the Clyde Space base in Maryhill. The miniature satellites – most of them as small as 10cmcubed – known as cubesats and microsatellites, unfold in space like pizza boxes. They are launched into space by a rocket, then fired into orbit, where they unfold and begin gathering information.
Source: The Herald, 26 Sep 2008