Contrails over London. The sheer number of trails give a sense of the enormous volume of traffic through the airspace.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

[Via Satellite 10-18-13] Thales Alenia Space Germany, DLR, and SES TechCom, a subsidiary of SES, have signed a long-term agreement for the joint development of the first European space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) constellation to monitor and optimize air traffic control around the globe. The agreement follows the successful launch of the ADS-B payload developed by DLR, which is currently operated on board the Proba 5 satellite and continuously provides global ADS-B data to the mission processing and analysis center developed and operated by SES TechCom.

This payload, developed by DLR, will be followed by the in-orbit validation mission, which will demonstrate the full technical scope of space-based ADS-B. The European Space Agency has contracted Thales Germany for the development of this next generation ADS-B system, which is progressing on schedule with strong participation of the Luxembourg space industry, such as LuxSpace, with the Triton micro-satellite platform to support the future demonstration mission.

“Putting ADS-B, a field-proven terrestrial surveillance concept, onto satellites will further enhance safety and efficiency of modern air traffic around the entire globe in the foreseeable future. Combining European leaders’ competences and capabilities in this promising technology will open and secure new business opportunities for Europe worldwide. This will help us to master growing demand for air transportation and to further reduce carbon dioxide emissions,” said Sven Carstensen, CEO Thales Alenia Space Germany.