FLEX TMTC SCOEs contract award by Thales UK

C-STS has been awarded a contract by TAS-UK to supply 2 TM/TC SCOEs for use in the frame of the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission. These systems will be delivered to Thales, Toulouse in late 2021/early 2022, where the spacecraft integration will take place.

The TMTC SCOE main function is to act as the primary interface between the Spacecraft and the Central Check-out System (CCS) for Telemetry (TM) and Telecommand (TC).

The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) is a planned mission by the European Space Agency to launch a satellite to monitor the global steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation. FLEX was selected for funding on 19 November 2015 and will be launched on a Vega C rocket from Guiana Space Centre in 2024.

On January 10, 2019 - Thales Alenia Space announced that it has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) to lead the Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) satellite mission. Thales Alenia Space is program prime contractor and has also signed a novation agreement to integrate the contract that ESA awarded to Leonardo in 2016 concerning the development of the FLORIS instrument.