Walton De-Ice CE-Approved heaters and plenums at Fucino. Photo: Walton De-Ice

[Via Satellite 08-31-2016] Telespazio is upgrading seven satellite gateway antennas at the Fucino Space Center ranging up to 18 meters in diameter with new systems from Walton De-Ice. The company is upgrading its Walton Plenum Hot-Air De-Icing systems (Walton De-Ice Plenum, Snow Shield and Ice Quake systems) with the latest CE-approved gas heaters and control systems to improve uptime during the winter.

Established in 1963, the Fucino Space Center is the largest civil space center in the world. It is active in the areas of satellite orbit control, telecommunication, television and multimedia services.

Walton systems offer electric, natural gas, and liquid propane gas heater options. According to the company, these heater options warm the entire antenna reflector uniformly, compared to other types of heaters such as electric pad systems that can cause reflector distortion, leading to signal problems, especially in Ku- and Ka-band.