Thales Alenia Space announced an important milestone regarding the satellite integration and test center built in Turkey, which was part of the contract signed in 2010 with Telespazio in the frame of the Göktürk observation satellite program for the Turkish Ministry of Defense.
The building is air and water tight, and installation of the main test systems is well under way. The new satellite integration and test center will be able to integrate several telecommunications or observation satellites at the same time and delivery of the complete building is scheduled for October 2013, with final acceptance, including all test systems, slated for May 2014.
The Class 100,000 clean rooms, spanning more than 3,000 square meters, will house all the latest-generation equipment needed for satellite integration and testing. Systems include a mechanical vibration test bench, a 950 cubic meter acoustic test chamber, a thermal-vacuum chamber measuring over 350 cubic meters, a compact antenna test range and support for the deployment of solar panels and antennas. Other resources include the system to test the satellite's physical properties (weight, center of gravity, inertia) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test systems.
Turkish industry is heavily involved in the construction of this facility. A local company was chosen as the contracting authority for all civil engineering, with responsibility for design studies and construction of the building under the responsibility of Thales Alenia Space. The center is being established in TUSA? Aerospace and TUSA? will be responsible for operating this AIT Center.