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EREMS contribution to SWOT, puts itself at the service of planet Earth

“Produced in collaboration with U.S. space agency NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on behalf of the French and American space agencies, SWOT is an oceanography program that will demonstrate new applications, and is a follow-on to the Jason-1, 2 and 3 operational missions. SWOT also includes contributions from the Canadian space agency (CSA), as well as the United Kingdom Space Agency (UKSA).

It will incorporate unprecedented technological innovations in altimetry and will provide exciting new details of one of our most precious resources, namely water!

As the name indicates, [SWOT] is designed to study ocean topography and surface water on the continents. It comprises

both an oceanography and a hydrology mission. For oceanography, the satellite will provide measurements of ocean sur[1]face and wave height with higher resolution than its predecessor Jason satellites.

These data will be used to analyze and understand the effects of coastal circulation on marine life, ecosystems, water quality and energy transfers, resulting in more accurate models of the interactions between oceans and the atmosphere.

The hydrology mission will evaluate continental surface water, to study changes in water storage in humid zones, lakes and reservoirs, as well as flow rates in rivers.”

For this satellite, EREMS took in charge, in collaboration with Thales Alenia Space in Belgium, the design and production of several of its 15 electronic modules, and in parallel the mechanical design of the equipment.

Thus, for the modules associated with the interfaces of the propulsion system of the satellite as well as those associated with the interfaces of the power distribution system, EREMS has, on its site in Toulouse, implemented all the electronic schematics, optimized the choice of components according to the constraints regarding the satellite, carried out all the electrical justifications and then implemented the boards before ensuring their manufacture, testing and integration pro[1]cess, for delivery of finalized and qualified RTU-equipment at Thales Alenia Space in Cannes for integration on the platform.

“This international collaboration in the service of Planet Earth, is another success for EREMS, such as the COPERNICUS European program, or MicroCarb satellite, to measure CO2 flows, for which EREMS delivered differing Front End Electronics detectors. SWOT is another one of the several international environmental monitoring missions in which the EREMS teams are proud of their participation through the provisioning of major electronic equipment,” said Gérard Dejonghe, EREMS Chairman and CEO.

SWOT will be the first satellite to be decommissioned at the end of its lifetime by making a controlled atmospheric re-entry, in compliance with the French Space Operations Act (FSOA) geared towards tackling space debris, which took effect in 2020