Denel Overberg Test Range supports launch of two satellites

The test range's mobile telemetry station’s antenna

Leon Korkie and Deon van der Hoven assembled the mobile telemetry station on site, integrated it with the French Space Agency telemetry kit and participated in the qualification of the telemetry network before supporting the actual mission. The mobile telemetry station of the test range provided key coverage for the powered phase of the ascent of the launch vehicle from shortly after launch, from the Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, until it disappeared over the horizon in the North.

A record-setting launch

The second mobile telemetry station of the test range was deployed and prepared by Herman Steenkamp and Nico du Plessis at Invercargill in New Zealand during March 2013. On 5 and 6 June 2013, Leon Korkie and Herman Steenkamp flawlessly supported the fourth launch of the Automatic Transfer Vehicle (ATV4: Albert Einstein) from Kourou on an Ariane 5 ES Launch vehicle.

The launch of the Albert Einstein space vehicle with a mass of more than 20 metric tons was a record-setting heavy-lift mission for Ariane Space. It docked with the International Space Station on 15 June 2013 after a 10 day period of free flight.

Japie Venter, project manager for these stations, remarked, "This is also a record for us, because it is the first time that two Denel Overberg Test Range mobile telemetry stations successfully supported two different missions on opposite sides of the world."

Both missions were contracted by the French Space Agency (CNES) under a current umbrella agreement.

For more informationn, go to www.otb.co.za.