Weather
Firm has major role in latest space quest
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Thursday 28th Feb 2002.
CHIPPENHAM-BASED Science Systems Ltd will have a special reason to watch as the world's most advanced earth observation satellite soars into orbit on March 1.
The company's European space experts, some of which are based at its Methuen Park headquarters in Chippenham, have contributed £6m worth of technology to the project, which is being sponsored by the Government.
The software development specialist has more than 800 staff world-wide and employs 250 at its Chippenham base.
Experts at Chippenham have played a vital part in the development and construction of the cutting edge environmental satellite, which will circle the planet, tracking and recording changes in the earth's environment.
It is being launched from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana tomorrow and it is hoped it will help scientists gain a better understanding of environmental phenomena like global warming.
Envisat is the most complex earth observation satellite ever to be built and will play a key role in monitoring unpredictable but often devastating natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and floods.
Science Systems' sales director John Auburn, based in Chippenham, said: "It is very exciting for us to be involved in such a major project.
"We have developed a simulator that models the whole spacecraft and its instruments. If something has to be changed on board, we can change it on the simulator and this allows us to test any changes before they are implemented for real."
The simulator has been used for testing all of the procedures prior to the launch and for training personnel.
The company has also contributed to the design of Envisat's data processing system, which takes the data from the instruments and distributes it across Europe.
When Envisat is launched tomorrow it will be controlled from the European Space Operations Centre in Germany.
Science Systems Ltd has experts based at ESOC who will monitor the way the satellite orbits the earth.
The company also has a British National Space Centre contract for research to investigate ways of promoting Envisat data and services over the Internet.
The UK has invested £300m in the Envisat project in the last ten years.
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