SENER in Poland will design and develop a container to transport the FLORIS scientific instrument, a key component of the mission, which will be used to map the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity. SENER Aeroespacial is also in charge of FLORIS’ optical bench or IOMS (Instrument Optical Module Structure) that includes the Optical Bench Assembly (OBA), which houses and supports the optical instruments, and the thermal hardware (THW), responsible for keeping the module at a controlled temperature.

Although the container will first be designed and constructed for the FLEX mission, the experience gained from this program will allow the production of these complex and precise devices for other missions as well. This is an important goal in terms of product standardisation in the space industry, i.e. using the same components for different space vehicles. The success of the project will enable further development of the space sector on the Vistula, based on more mass production than so far: contrary to popular belief, containers for transporting such precise and at the same time delicate devices as satellite payloads are extremely complex devices. Among the ground support equipment for assembling satellite instruments – collectively referred to as MGSE (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment) products – it is the transport containers that are most crucial, completely isolating the satellites from the influence of external factors. This does not only mean weather factors, but also shocks and vibrations occurring during loading and transport, e.g. by air,» says Pawel Pako, Project Manager at SENER in Poland, who has already managed R&D projects for space exploration systems developed within the framework of the ESA and cooperated, among others, with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen.

SENER will design two containers: an outer container that is watertight and provides ISO 8 clean room level, and an inner container: watertight and gas-tight, it will provide ISO 5 clean room level. The container will be able to carry a payload of up to 200 kg, but the design is easily scalable to other values.

In response to the needs of space agencies and satellite manufacturers, the container has to undergo numerous endurance tests to ensure it can withstand the rigors of transport. It is also important to ensure that the instruments in transit have adequate ventilation, temperature and humidity. In the case of Flex missions, all these factors must also comply with the stringent requirements of the European Space Agency (ESA).

In the process of developing the container for the FLEX mission, the SENER in Poland team will have to develop new competences, which will involve looking for new business partners on the Polish market.

The current project for the FLEX mission is due to be completed in September this year. The experience gained in developing the container will complement SENER in Poland’s extensive portfolio in the MGSE field, which includes missions such as Euclid, JUICE and PLATO in the field, and will be used in the construction of similar equipment for future missions.

The European Space Agency’s FLEX mission, for which a satellite transport container will be built in Poland, has the task of mapping the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity with the Floris instrument. The main contractor for the program is Thales Alenia Space, with other leading European space companies involved in the project: Leonardo, OHB Systems AG and RUAG. The FLEX satellite, which is due to be launched in 2024, will carry out its mission for three and a half years working in tandem with the Sentinel-3 satellite, which is part of ESA’s Copernicus Earth observation program.

SENER in Poland will design and develop a container to transport the FLORIS scientific instrument, a key component of the mission, which will be used to map the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity. SENER Aeroespacial is also in charge of FLORIS’ optical bench or IOMS (Instrument Optical Module Structure) that includes the Optical Bench Assembly (OBA), which houses and supports the optical instruments, and the thermal hardware (THW), responsible for keeping the module at a controlled temperature.

Although the container will first be designed and constructed for the FLEX mission, the experience gained from this program will allow the production of these complex and precise devices for other missions as well. This is an important goal in terms of product standardisation in the space industry, i.e. using the same components for different space vehicles. The success of the project will enable further development of the space sector on the Vistula, based on more mass production than so far: contrary to popular belief, containers for transporting such precise and at the same time delicate devices as satellite payloads are extremely complex devices. Among the ground support equipment for assembling satellite instruments – collectively referred to as MGSE (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment) products – it is the transport containers that are most crucial, completely isolating the satellites from the influence of external factors. This does not only mean weather factors, but also shocks and vibrations occurring during loading and transport, e.g. by air,» says Pawel Pako, Project Manager at SENER in Poland, who has already managed R&D projects for space exploration systems developed within the framework of the ESA and cooperated, among others, with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen.

SENER will design two containers: an outer container that is watertight and provides ISO 8 clean room level, and an inner container: watertight and gas-tight, it will provide ISO 5 clean room level. The container will be able to carry a payload of up to 200 kg, but the design is easily scalable to other values.

In response to the needs of space agencies and satellite manufacturers, the container has to undergo numerous endurance tests to ensure it can withstand the rigors of transport. It is also important to ensure that the instruments in transit have adequate ventilation, temperature and humidity. In the case of Flex missions, all these factors must also comply with the stringent requirements of the European Space Agency (ESA).

In the process of developing the container for the FLEX mission, the SENER in Poland team will have to develop new competences, which will involve looking for new business partners on the Polish market.

The current project for the FLEX mission is due to be completed in September this year. The experience gained in developing the container will complement SENER in Poland’s extensive portfolio in the MGSE field, which includes missions such as Euclid, JUICE and PLATO in the field, and will be used in the construction of similar equipment for future missions.

The European Space Agency’s FLEX mission, for which a satellite transport container will be built in Poland, has the task of mapping the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity with the Floris instrument. The main contractor for the program is Thales Alenia Space, with other leading European space companies involved in the project: Leonardo, OHB Systems AG and RUAG. The FLEX satellite, which is due to be launched in 2024, will carry out its mission for three and a half years working in tandem with the Sentinel-3 satellite, which is part of ESA’s Copernicus Earth observation program.

SENER in Poland will design and develop a container to transport the FLORIS scientific instrument, a key component of the mission, which will be used to map the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity. SENER Aeroespacial is also in charge of FLORIS’ optical bench or IOMS (Instrument Optical Module Structure) that includes the Optical Bench Assembly (OBA), which houses and supports the optical instruments, and the thermal hardware (THW), responsible for keeping the module at a controlled temperature.

Although the container will first be designed and constructed for the FLEX mission, the experience gained from this program will allow the production of these complex and precise devices for other missions as well. This is an important goal in terms of product standardisation in the space industry, i.e. using the same components for different space vehicles. The success of the project will enable further development of the space sector on the Vistula, based on more mass production than so far: contrary to popular belief, containers for transporting such precise and at the same time delicate devices as satellite payloads are extremely complex devices. Among the ground support equipment for assembling satellite instruments – collectively referred to as MGSE (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment) products – it is the transport containers that are most crucial, completely isolating the satellites from the influence of external factors. This does not only mean weather factors, but also shocks and vibrations occurring during loading and transport, e.g. by air,» says Pawel Pako, Project Manager at SENER in Poland, who has already managed R&D projects for space exploration systems developed within the framework of the ESA and cooperated, among others, with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen.

SENER will design two containers: an outer container that is watertight and provides ISO 8 clean room level, and an inner container: watertight and gas-tight, it will provide ISO 5 clean room level. The container will be able to carry a payload of up to 200 kg, but the design is easily scalable to other values.

In response to the needs of space agencies and satellite manufacturers, the container has to undergo numerous endurance tests to ensure it can withstand the rigors of transport. It is also important to ensure that the instruments in transit have adequate ventilation, temperature and humidity. In the case of Flex missions, all these factors must also comply with the stringent requirements of the European Space Agency (ESA).

In the process of developing the container for the FLEX mission, the SENER in Poland team will have to develop new competences, which will involve looking for new business partners on the Polish market.

The current project for the FLEX mission is due to be completed in September this year. The experience gained in developing the container will complement SENER in Poland’s extensive portfolio in the MGSE field, which includes missions such as Euclid, JUICE and PLATO in the field, and will be used in the construction of similar equipment for future missions.

The European Space Agency’s FLEX mission, for which a satellite transport container will be built in Poland, has the task of mapping the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity with the Floris instrument. The main contractor for the program is Thales Alenia Space, with other leading European space companies involved in the project: Leonardo, OHB Systems AG and RUAG. The FLEX satellite, which is due to be launched in 2024, will carry out its mission for three and a half years working in tandem with the Sentinel-3 satellite, which is part of ESA’s Copernicus Earth observation program.

SENER, commissioned by OHB Italia and as part of the mission of the European Space Agency, has designed, manufactured and tested the Mechanical Ground Support Equipment to support the installation of a satellite that is 12 meters wide and 20 meters long. The MGSE kit includes equipment for mounting and dismounting the satellite panels as well as structures for environmental testing of some of its instruments.

The Biomass mission is part of the “Earth Explorer” scientific program, under which ESA conducts research on Earth from space and seeks answers to questions about changes in the environment and man’s impact on the biosphere. Trees play a very important role in protecting the Earth’s ecosystem, producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, reducing its emission into the atmosphere. At the same time, data on the magnitude of deforestation is still inaccurate, because forest biomass in most areas of the Earth has never been accurately counted. The European Space Agency wants to change this by launching the Biomass satellite into orbit, which by scanning the planet from space will provide the first accurate maps of forest biomass for temperate, tropical and boreal (northern) regions.

The main research instrument of the ESA satellite is the SAR radar with a powerful 12 meter diameter antenna, the waves of which will penetrate the branches of trees and scan trunks and branches. On this basis, a current three-dimensional map of the Earth’s forests will be created every six months. And that is not all. When the satellite will be ready in orbit, the possibilities of using its observation functions will be mainly limited by the imagination. The list of applications for SAR radar, in addition to “weighing” trees on the planet, may include, for example, monitoring glaciers and changes in the ice cap or scanning the land for archaeological buildings under the surface of the deserts.

Janusz Grzybowski, Project Manager for the Biomass mission at SENER in Poland says: “Missions such as Biomass not only bring us closer to understanding the most important phenomena taking place on our planet but can also help us to protect it in an invaluable way.” The launch of the Biomass mission is planned for 2022. The satellite will be launched into low Earth orbit on board the Vega rocket. The mission is planned for five years, during which time SAR radar data will be delivered to the ground station in Kiruna, Sweden. The budget of the whole mission is 420 million euros.

SENER in Poland will design and develop a container to transport the FLORIS scientific instrument, a key component of the mission, which will be used to map the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity. SENER Aeroespacial is also in charge of FLORIS’ optical bench or IOMS (Instrument Optical Module Structure) that includes the Optical Bench Assembly (OBA), which houses and supports the optical instruments, and the thermal hardware (THW), responsible for keeping the module at a controlled temperature.

Although the container will first be designed and constructed for the FLEX mission, the experience gained from this program will allow the production of these complex and precise devices for other missions as well. This is an important goal in terms of product standardisation in the space industry, i.e. using the same components for different space vehicles. The success of the project will enable further development of the space sector on the Vistula, based on more mass production than so far: contrary to popular belief, containers for transporting such precise and at the same time delicate devices as satellite payloads are extremely complex devices. Among the ground support equipment for assembling satellite instruments – collectively referred to as MGSE (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment) products – it is the transport containers that are most crucial, completely isolating the satellites from the influence of external factors. This does not only mean weather factors, but also shocks and vibrations occurring during loading and transport, e.g. by air,» says Pawel Pako, Project Manager at SENER in Poland, who has already managed R&D projects for space exploration systems developed within the framework of the ESA and cooperated, among others, with the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen.

SENER will design two containers: an outer container that is watertight and provides ISO 8 clean room level, and an inner container: watertight and gas-tight, it will provide ISO 5 clean room level. The container will be able to carry a payload of up to 200 kg, but the design is easily scalable to other values.

In response to the needs of space agencies and satellite manufacturers, the container has to undergo numerous endurance tests to ensure it can withstand the rigors of transport. It is also important to ensure that the instruments in transit have adequate ventilation, temperature and humidity. In the case of Flex missions, all these factors must also comply with the stringent requirements of the European Space Agency (ESA).

In the process of developing the container for the FLEX mission, the SENER in Poland team will have to develop new competences, which will involve looking for new business partners on the Polish market.

The current project for the FLEX mission is due to be completed in September this year. The experience gained in developing the container will complement SENER in Poland’s extensive portfolio in the MGSE field, which includes missions such as Euclid, JUICE and PLATO in the field, and will be used in the construction of similar equipment for future missions.

The European Space Agency’s FLEX mission, for which a satellite transport container will be built in Poland, has the task of mapping the fluorescence of the Earth’s vegetation in order to quantify photosynthetic activity with the Floris instrument. The main contractor for the program is Thales Alenia Space, with other leading European space companies involved in the project: Leonardo, OHB Systems AG and RUAG. The FLEX satellite, which is due to be launched in 2024, will carry out its mission for three and a half years working in tandem with the Sentinel-3 satellite, which is part of ESA’s Copernicus Earth observation program.