EMS Technologies, Inc., through
its Space & Technology/Montreal division, celebrated the successful launch of
the SCISAT-1 spacecraft this week. SCISAT-1 is the first new Canadian
scientific satellite since 1971.
EMS provided several key pieces of hardware for this mission, including
the Measurements of Aerosol Extinction in the Stratosphere and Troposphere
Retrieved by Occultation (MAESTRO) instrument, one of two science instruments
on board the spacecraft. MAESTRO is a two-channel spectrometer providing
high-resolution data on the profiles of ozone concentration and organic and
inorganic particles in the atmosphere.
EMS also provided the SCISAT-1 spacecraft with a CALTRAC® Star Tracker,
a key part of the spacecraft’s attitude control system. In addition, two
S-Band communications antennas and a power supply board for the Fourier
Transform Spectrometer (FTS) instrument were provided.
The overall objective of the SCISAT mission is to improve our
understanding of the depletion of the ozone layer. The measurements obtained
by the FTS and MAESTRO instruments will obtain the best possible information
to predict future trends relating to the ozone layer and its depletion.
“This launch is the culmination of years of hard work and dedication, and
we are very pleased that concepts developed by our engineers have now become
reality”, says Mike Symonds, vice president of EMS’s Space Science Group.
About EMS Technologies, Inc.
EMS Technologies, Inc. is a leading innovator in the design and
manufacture of space, airborne and terrestrial wireless solutions, and focuses
its unique range of advanced technologies on the needs of broadband and mobile
information users. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, employs
approximately 1,700 people worldwide, and has manufacturing facilities in
Atlanta, Ottawa, Montreal, and Brazil.
For more information, visit the company on the World Wide Web at
www.ems-t.com .
