TÜV NORD GROUP supports ESA's ARRAKIHS dark matter research mission
Digital & Semiconductor: TÜV NORD subsidiary ALTER tests ARRAKIHS satellite for extreme stresses in space
Digital & Semiconductor: TÜV NORD subsidiary ALTER tests ARRAKIHS satellite for extreme stresses in space
The TÜV NORD GROUP is participating in the pioneering ARRAKIHS (Analysis of Resolved Remnants of Accreted Galaxies as a Key Instrument for Halo Surveys) mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). The satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit in 2030 and will unlock the secrets of dark matter. ALTER, a TÜV NORD GROUP company, is helping to ensure that the satellite's materials can withstand the extreme stresses of space, including vibrations during launch, extreme temperature differences during flight and radiation in space.
ALTER is working closely with SATLANTIS, a leading New Space company, on the ARRAKIHS mission. SATLANTIS is responsible for developing ARRAKIHS' high-resolution optical payload, which consists of advanced cameras and sensors that can take detailed images in space. This technology is used to take pictures of the Earth from space, which provide valuable data for a variety of applications, including environmental monitoring, mapping, agriculture and security surveillance. In the case of ARRAKIHS, the payload consists of two visible and two infrared cameras that have been specially developed to study the structure and dynamics of galaxy halos. Galaxy halos are large, spherical regions surrounding galaxies and consisting mainly of dark matter.
The ARRAKIHS mission consortium is led by Spain and receives significant contributions from Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, Austria, the United Kingdom and Portugal, among others.
ALTER is contributing its many years of experience and technical expertise to this international collaboration in order to meet the high standards and requirements of the space industry. The technical experts are responsible for the procurement of certain components. ALTER tests the corresponding materials and checks whether they are suitable for the mission. The technical experts use these materials to qualify various electronic systems.
“Participating in the ARRAKIHS mission underscores our commitment to innovation and scientific progress in the NewSpace and DeepSpace fields,” says Luis Gómez, CEO of ALTER. ‘We are proud to be working with SATLANTIS and contributing to research into dark matter, which is one of the greatest challenges in modern astrophysics,’ Gómez continues.
ALTER has been a partner in several ESA missions. For example, the company made a significant contribution to ensuring that the EUCLID space telescope could withstand the extreme stresses of space. ALTER was responsible for the development, testing and procurement of all on-board electronic components.
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