Rhea System s.a.
New Tech Centre
Avenue Einstein 2a
B-1348 Louvain La Neuve
Belgium

tel: +32 10 48 72 50
fax: +32 10 45 25 07

url: http://www.rheagroup.com

André Sincennes: Managing Director

Company Areas of Services:

RHEA System specializes in Engineering services and specific software tools for the Space Engineering / Satellite business domain. RHEA presently employs more than 100 persons, the vast majority of them being highly skilled and recognized as experts in the space engineering domain.

Its rapid and steady growth in activity stems from the fact that it articulates its business on two main axes:

• Highly specialized engineering services, offering to the main customers experienced and qualified subject matter experts, but also able to undertake full and complex tasks outsourced by said customers. These services range from Mission Analysis to Satellite Integration, including systems definition and operations of spacecraft.
• A specialized proprietary software tool MOIS, standing for Manufacturing and Operations Information System, that helps a satellite or vehicle integrator along the tedious tasks of integration of all systems, schedules the operations, keeps track of and documents all steps and generates all documentation up to the Operations documentation needed in the control centers.

Traditionally RHEA's customer base was centered on the European Space Agency (ESA), including its three main centers: Technical Center at ESTEC in the Netherlands , Operations at ESOC in Germany and the Information Center in Rome, Italy. It now includes all the European players of the space industry and starts a controlled expansion towards North American actors.

Here is a descriptive of RHEA participation in key Programs:

i. ESTEC :. Prime for Frame contract for the provision of administrative and engineering services support on all on-going and futureEarth Observation missions of the Agency.
ii. ESTEC : Participation of RHEA to TEC-E Frame Contract with allocation of activities in the activity domains of Electromagnetics (especially Space Weather and Radiation Effects) [ELM], Software Systems [SWS], Control Systems [SCS], Data Systems [SDS] and Concurrent Design Facility [CDF].
iii. ESTEC: Participation of RHEA to TEC-Q Frame Contract with allocation of activities in the activity domains of PA Engineering [PAE], and Automation and Robotics [AAR].
iv. ESTEC: Participation of RHEA to Science Frame Contract with allocation of activities in the activity domains of Systems and S/W Engineering for Science Operations [SOE], Operations Support for Science Operations [SOO], Technical Adminstration for Science Operations [SOA], Specific Information Technology Support for Science Operations [SOI] and Scheduling, Planning and Document Management [SPD].
v. ESTEC: Planck Science Office Support Sciencists for both LFI and HFI instruments.
vi ESTEC/Booz Allen/EADS Space Transportation : ISS increments and taxi flights, Columbus, Cupola and Node 2/3 operations definition and support.
vii. EUMETSAT : Operations center and Headquarters of the Meteorological agency . Participation of RHEA to operations of the spacecraft fleet.
viii. ESOC : European Space Operations Center of the European Agency. Major frame contract for on-going Engineering Services.
ix. GAIA spacecraft (space exploration) from ESA for Operations, satellite verification and database support.

Sales are made through negotiated standing offers or blanket agreements with ESA, its affiliates and / or its major suppliers on a multiple years type (three to ten years), such as staffing the ESRIN center (Italy), or the EUMETSAT Ground control operations or the GALILEO support to EADS.

Engineering Services:

Accounting today for about 85% of the sales of RHEA, its engineering services offering has allowed for the Company to steadily increase its presence within the ESA centers to the main suppliers. RHEA has managed to be part of all of ESA programs and European main space programs, whether we refer to:

• Earth Observation missions;
• Exploration missions;
• Science missions;
• Communications and special payloads;
• Manned flights; and,
• Operations and launchers

RHEA is currently developing and performing services of:

• Operations with ESA, and with the German Operations centers, staffing control rooms, defining the operations parameters, schedules, procedures,
• Sub-systems program management in the industry at EADS and Alenia on the GALILEO program;
• Upstream mission definition and requirements, systems and subsystems definitions, integration of equipments and payloads, calibration and tests, results analysis

Main recent ESA programs include : Cryosat, Planck Herschel, Envisat for Earth Observation Inmarsat 4, Skynet 5 for telecommunications ATV, Colombus and Vega for manned activities and launchers.

MOIS software - Manufacturing and Operations Information System:

Accounting today for approximately 15 % of the sales of RHEA. It consists in up front licenses, plus installation, training and multi year maintenance and upgrades.

The development of this proprietary tool, for which new applications are continuously developed and upgraded by RHEA under a tightly monitored process has been based on a set of integrated tools to time based:

• Automatic requirement verification;
• Design, develop, validate and execute test and operations procedures;
• Real time generation and reception of Telemetry and telecommand;
• Off-line generation of different languages from the same procedure;
• Interface with many control systems, third party procedures and databases; and,
• Provide integrated configuration control

This MOIS software suite has been first used by ESA, and then recommended as a de facto standard by the Agency to all its suppliers. Since then the customer base has steadily grown to include key Space Industry players in Europe (EADS all sites, Alenia, ESA, CNES, DLR, SES, GSOC, EUMETSAT ) and recently has started its penetration into the North American market (PANAMSAT, Canadian Space Agency , ORBITAL SCIENCES ).

Most recent achievements: MOIS is being used by all GALILEO industry participants (EADS, ALENIA, ESA , CNES, ) Kick off discussions on a blanket agreement with EADS ASTRIUM to have the MOIS tool as a de facto standard in all ASTRIUM operations and programs. The possibility to be finalized by the first quarter of 2006 will include optional extensions to the use of MOIS in other EADS Space Transportation (i.e.: ATV, ARIANE and various launchers).

Web satellite-links.co.uk