ARABSAT, the communication satellite operator based in Riyadh, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, has awarded EADS Astrium a contract for a Satellite Control
Center (SCC) to control Arabsat-4A and Arabsat-4B, Arabsat 2B and Arabsat 3A
satellites.

EADS Astrium will design, integrate, validate, install and deploy the SCC on
Arabsat sites, at Dirab (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and at Tunis (Tunisia).

This contract will deliver to ARABSAT a user-friendly, state-of-the-art and
fully integrated multi-mission control center. The OPSWARE products will
provide operations automation and unification, which relieve operators from
routine tasks, permit to keep the highest availability of service and to
consolidate the operations of the fleet.

The SCC will be based on EADS Astrium OPSWARE control center products. EADS
Astrium has subcontracted the TM/TC layer to GMV with its hifly(tm) product.

The EADS Astrium OPSWARE products that will be used include:

  • FOST for Offline Database Management
  • OPSAT for Procedures Preparation
  • OPSEXECUTER for Procedures Execution
  • QUARTZ++ for orbit Flight Dynamics Software

The new SCC will replace the
existing SCC for Arabsat-2B and Arabsat-3A Alcatel Spacebus 3000 satellites,
and will be used for the Eurostar-based Arabsat-4A and Arabsat-4B being
developed by EADS Astrium.

Many operators to perform LEOP and / or routine operations, from single
satellite mission to complete fleet of heterogeneous satellites, are using
OPSWARE products

Hifly(tm) is based on SCOS 2000, ESA’s new generation mission control system
kernel. SCOS 2000 benefits from ESA continuous support and is used in the
control centers of most ESA satellites.

EADS Astrium provides a full range of solutions for the ground
infrastructures for Earth Observations and for Communication Networks. It
offers end-to-end solutions for spacecraft mission centers and spacecraft
control centers both for Astrium internal use and for external customers.
About EADS AstriumEADS Astrium is Europe’s leading satellite system
specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military
telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation
programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment.

EADS Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated
to providing civil and defense space systems. In 2003 EADS SPACE had a
turnover of ?2.4 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United
Kingdom and Spain. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defense and related
services. In 2003, EADS generated revenues of ? 30.1 billion and employed a
workforce of more than 100,000.

Press contact:

Rémi ROLAND EADS SPACE (FR)
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 34 88 35 78

Dr. Christian ERLES EADS SPACE (FR)
Tel.: +33 (0) 1 39 06 32 53

Alistair SCOTT EADS SPACE (UK)
Tel.: +44 (0) 1438 77 3698

Mathias PIKELJ EADS SPACE (GER)
Tel.: +49 (0) 7545 8 91 23

European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
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