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COVER STORY
SPACE
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The microsatellites they work with can be as small as 30 cubic centimetres and 30kg. This compares to one of SES’s communications satellites, which generally weigh more than five tonnes. LuxSpace contributes to constellations of small spacecraft that give wide geographic coverage. This is just the thing for systems to track ships at sea and planes flying over oceans and deserts. Recent projects include machine-to-machine payload communication to enable data to be exchanged in space, before this is then processed on the ground. They are also contributing to a major ESA project that is seeking to better understand space weather. “For example, solar flares can affect communication technology in space and on the earth, and we need to understand these phenomena better,” said Poppé. “Data from these satellites will help scientists improve prediction models.” LuxSpace was founded in 2004 in the grand duchy as a subsidiary of the major German aerospace firm OHB SE. May 2017
FROM NUCLEAR TO SPACE
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Gradel has been a Luxembourg specialist in high tech, high spec international industries for more than 50 years. It began as a supplier of maintenance systems to the nuclear power industry, but now about half its sales
are related to the space sector. “There are many similarities between these industries as both work to very high specifications reliant on accuracy,” commented Udo Winkler, a project manager in the firm’s space division.