Actus des entreprises

Thales Alenia Space to provide TETRA electric propulsion for Korea’s GK3 Satellite

Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Leonardo (33%) and Thales (67%), a member of FKCCI, as well as a leading French company in the Aerospace, Defence and Security sector, has signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to provide electric propulsion for incorporation on their GEO-KOMPSAT-3 (GK3) satellite.

Scheduled for launch in 2027, GK3 is a multi-band communications satellite that will provide broadband satellite communication services in the Korean Peninsula and surrounding maritime areas. In particular, it will support national maritime rescue and protection; monitoring water disasters in mountains, rivers and dams; and emergency response to other disaster situations. In addition, GK3 will also feature a Data Collection System (DCS) mission and a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) mission for satellite navigation augmentation service.

TETRA, Thales Alenia Space’s new electric propulsion product line designed and assembled in the UK, draws on the proven success and flight heritage of the SpaceBus NEO platform propulsion subsystems combined with support from the UK Space Agency. As a modern, light-weight, efficient and compact solution, TETRA is easy to physically, electrically and thermally accommodate. Its long lifetime and flexible design makes it suitable for different orbits and applications including mega-constellations, Earth observation satellites, In-orbit servicing and hybrid geostationary satellites to fully meet customers’ requirements.

Andrew Stanniland, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space in the UK, said: “We are extremely proud to work with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. This contract, which adds to Thales Alenia Space's long success story in Korea, confirms our impressive track record for designing and delivering innovative electric propulsion systems for satellites and satellite constellations. We look forward to bringing the breadth of expertise and talents to support the Korea Aerospace Research Institute.”

Alenia Space’s participation in GK3 is the latest milestone in its long-standing collaboration with South Korea on a number of space programs, including multipurpose geostationary missions (COMS, GEO-KOMPSAT-2A and 2B), the Koreasat satellite telecommunications family (Koreasat PRESS RELEASE THALES ALENIA SPACE 5, 5A, 6 and 7), Earth observation missions (KOMPSAT-3A, 5, 6 and 7 and CAS-500 family).