Product category: Enclosures and Racks
News Release from: Sight Systems | Subject: Custom chassis design
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 20 February 2006
Custom chassis enables satellite receiver
A custom computer chassis is helping the Chilbolton Observatory to receive the first successful transmissions from the Giove-A Galileo satellite which is in orbit 23,000km above the Earth
A computer chassis designed and built by Worthing-based Sight Systems has played a part in helping the Chilbolton Observatory to receive the first successful transmissions from the Giove-A Galileo satellite which is in orbit 23,000km above the Earth. Launched on 28th December 2005, Giove-A is the first satellite in the GBP 2.3 billion Galileo satellite navigation program, a partnership project between the European Space Agency and the European Commission, which is Europe's most ambitious space project to date.
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Giove-A will secure the frequencies allocated for Galileo, to validate critical timing, navigational and communications systems as well as carry out environmental testing of the planned orbits.
Chilbolton Observatory's Owain Davies explained: 'To confirm Giove-A was transmitting within the frequencies allocated for Galileo, a purpose built receiving system was installed on the 25m-diameter dish at Chilbolton'.
'The dish is large enough to obtain a strong signal from the satellite and located in a remote area to reduce the possibility interference'.
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Mini-ITX is ideal for space-critical applications
Sight Systems has announced the availability of a dual Mini-ITX computer system packaged in a compact 1U-high 19in rack mount enclosure
'Engineers from Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Chilbolton Observatory have designed and built the receiver, which operates over the frequency band of 1100 to 1700MHz'.
The chassis was chosen for its compatibility with 19in racking, excellent airflow and for the flexibility it offers to connect additional hardware and systems.
In addition to the chassis, Sight Systems also supplied a 300W ATX power supply unit (PSU) and a Peak 715VL-HT single board computer.
Once completed in 2010 the Galileo 'constellation' will comprise 30 satellites and give Europe its own civil satellite navigation system compatible with, but independent of, the USA's military-run Global Positioning System (GPS).
By bringing satellite navigation under European control Galileo will ensure guaranteed access and improved quality, increasing positioning accuracy down to one meter and offering better performance in urban and other 'difficult' areas.
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