Aerospace
MARKET TRENDS
New private actors and the miniaturisation of electronics have shaken up access to space. The market has switched quickly from “custom-built” satellites worth more than €100 million with an operational lifespan of 15 years to mass-produced satellites made each week, costing just tens of thousands of euros and lasting between 3 and 5 years.
Since 2011, nano/microsatellite launches have increased by 200% per year. More than 2,600 nano/microsatellites will be launched in space over the next 5 years (SpaceWorks).
Challenges:
- Implement serial production of satellites
- Triple the frequency of launches
- Avoid the risk of collision in orbit
- Manage constellation replenishment
- Preserving the space environment and addressing the problem of space debris
Launching a satellite can account for nearly a third of the overall cost. In this context, reducing launch costs is a key factor of competitiveness in the space sector.
While Ariane 6 promises 40% lower costs compared to Ariane 5, Europe wants to go further by developing a reusable liquid oxygen engine demonstrator (Prometheus) to divide the cost of current engine production by 10. On the American side, SpaceX aims to reuse a launcher within 24 hours and to halve the cost of the mission.
Challenges:
- Speed up time to market of new launchers
- Set up a production system clocked and in series
- Study the solutions of reusable launchers / micro-launchers
As one of the largest collectors of environmental and climate data, the space sector wants to share and make accessible its data and above all monetise it by creating new services with added value (i.e. agricultural harvest predictions).
Today, only 35% of satellites are used for commercial purposes (Forbes).
Challenges:
- Master new IT technologies (Cloud, Big Data, AI, etc.)
- Transform the industrial and economic model
- Rethinking the ground segment’s IT architecture
- Make data easily accessible to end users
ALTEN Belgium delivers everything from development of integrated systems to hardware programming and vehicle steering systems, to mechanical construction, advanced analysis and simulation, and project management within a number of areas.
- Mechanical engineering & structure
- Embedded systems
- Integration
- Manufacturing engineering
- Customer support
- IS, Networks and Telecoms
- Cross-functional business functions
ALTEN has become established as a technology partner of choice through:
- An ability to mobilize resources, to engage in projects with standardized processes and tools and to quickly transform forms of assistance
- Recognized expertise in specialized areas such as weight management, lean manufacturing and satellite integration
- Cross-functional support to major deal makers in both the development and design of complex systems and in cross-departmental business functions (quality, PMO, PLM, etc.)
- A capacity to take ownership of transnational projects (France, Germany, Spain, UK, India)
ONE CONSULTANT SHARES HIS PROJECT
MAXIME – Electromechanical Design Engineer
Client
Maxime is working at one of the major aerospace actors in Belgium. It’s a European leader in Thrust Vector Control (TVC) system conception for civil space launchers.
Project Context & Tasks
His mission: Electromechanical actuator design from State-of-Art to client delivery.
- Technologies trade-off
- State-of-Art
- BOM and specification set-up
- 3D + Drawing preparation
- Follow-up with supplier
- Technical justification according to the application specifications
- Validation and Acceptance test follow-up
Skills Developed
AT ALTEN
- Mechanical Conception
- Project Management (PRINCE 2)
- Excel Macro (VBA)
ON THIS PROJECT
- Aerospace & Electromechanical system Conception (ex: linear actuator,…)
- Supplier follow-up
Do you want to develop your career?