AstroMesh reflector deployed aboard Thuraya-2
NORTHROP GRUMMAN NEWS RELEASE
Posted: August 18, 2003

Northrop Grumman Corporation's second, 12-meter AstroMesh reflector was successfully deployed aboard the Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Company's second spacecraft last month.


An artist's concept of Thuraya-2. Credit: Boeing
 
The reflector was deployed after the Boeing-built Thuraya-2 reached its geosynchronous orbit. Thuraya-2 will add capacity to the company's network, which provides mobile voice and data communication services to Europe, the Middle East and portions of Africa and Asia.

"This successful deployment underscores the reliability of Astro Aerospace's reflectors and deployable space products," said Chris Yamada, president, Astro Aerospace. The first Thuraya spacecraft deployed an identical AstroMesh reflector in late 2000. The Thuraya network, including both spacecraft, was designed and built by Boeing Satellite Systems of El Segundo, Calif.

AstroMesh lightweight, high-precision reflectors provide advanced capability for very large antennas. The reflector is 12.25 meters (40 feet) in diameter when deployed on orbit, 1.1 meters (44-inches) in diameter when stowed for launch, and works in transmit and receive modes.

Astro Aerospace has also designed and manufactured AstroMesh reflectors for Astrium on the Inmarsat 4 program and for Space Systems/Loral on Japan's Mobile Broadcasting satellite program. Both reflectors are scheduled to be launched early next year.

Astro Aerospace, based in Carpinteria, is a business unit of Northrop Grumman Space Technology, a leader in the development of space, defense and electronics systems. For more than 40 years, Astro Aerospace has pioneered the technology of space deployable structures. It has a 100 percent success rate on hundreds of flight-specific deployable units.

Columbia Report
A reproduction of the official accident investigation report into the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Mars Panorama

DISCOUNTED! This 360 degree image was taken by the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on the Red Planet in July 1997. The Sojourner Rover is visible in the image.
 Choose your store:
U.S.

Apollo 11 Mission Report
Apollo 11 - The NASA Mission Reports Vol. 3 is the first comprehensive study of man's first mission to another world is revealed in all of its startling complexity. Includes DVD!
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Rocket DVD
If you've ever watched a launch from Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg Air Force Base or even Kodiak Island Alaska, there's no better way to describe what you witnessed than with this DVD.
 Choose your store:
U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide

Get e-mail updates
Sign up for our NewsAlert service and have the latest news in astronomy and space e-mailed direct to your desktop (privacy note: your e-mail address will not be used for any other purpose).
Enter your e-mail address:

INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE
ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE

ADVERTISE

© 2009 Spaceflight Now Inc.