Vision, Mission and Values
WE CONNECT SPACE
To be a European leader in the field of satellite communication-, navigation-, RF interference and compact radar systems through our key-expertise in high frequency RF, digital signal processing, software defined radio and photonics.
To offer system-level design capability and innovative product engineering to the space community for space-flight and space-ground usage. To create a challenging work environment for highly skilled engineers with a passion for R&D. To build a profitable and sustainable business with growth perspective
Antwerp Space builds its success on the following values:
- Customer satisfaction: the first priority!
- Passion for innovation and product leadership
- Collaboration and teamwork: Fostering multi-disciplinary co-engineering embedded in our customers’ consortium and amongst our suppliers.
- Accountability: we take our responsibility and deliver on our commitments
Our facilities
A Clean room
A clean room is a closed area where the air contains very few dust particles. A speck of dust in a switch or circuit might prevent a spacecraft from working properly. While there is no dust in space, it is important that there should be none when assembling and testing the space hardware.
Hence, in a clean room, the air dust content, temperature and humidity are highly controlled in order to avoid contamination of sensitive equipment. A minimum level of overpressure is also permanently maintained. This explains why only one door can be opened at a time and why there is an air lock at the entrance of the clean room.
Clean rooms are classified in different categories based on the number and the size of particles allowed per volume of air. Antwerp Space’s cleanroom is ISO 8. This means that for a volume of 1 m3, there might for instance be a maximum of 29,300 particles larger than 5 micrometre. This is ten times less than in a normal room!
Furthermore, special measures have to be observed by staff working in a clean room. Not only is the access restricted to authorized and properly instructed personnel, but technicians, engineers and visitors alike also have to wear a special outfit. Depending on the clean room’s standards, they may have to put on gloves, facemasks, cleanroom hats, shoe covers or special boots.
Humidity (water content of the air) in clean rooms is also kept fairly low (around 55 %), and temperature is kept close to 22º C.
The clean room is also an ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) protected area. Special measures have been taken to reduce the risk of ElectroStatic Discharge to sensitive electronic components.
When it comes to its dimensions, Antwerp Space’s clean room has a ground surface of 100 m2 and a height of 3 m, resulting in a volume of about 300 m3.
A stratum-1 NTP server
The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol to allow time synchronization between an NTP client and an NTP server. Whereas the client can be any PC or IoT device, the server is a high-accurate time source, synchronized to either its own reference time source, or to another server. Common time references include GPS receivers, Atomic clocks or radio-wave receivers.
When performing measurements, precise timing can be of crucial importance. Therefore, Antwerp Space has their own Stratum-1 NTP server that also generates a Precision Time Protocol (PTP) signal; permanently synchronized on the atomic clocks of the GPS satellites. The NTP signal is made publicly accessible on time.antwerpspace.be.
Other infrastructure
More than 4 000 m2 of offices, labs and integration rooms.
More than 1000 m2 lab-space for product development, test and integration.
Spacious, well equipped RF lab.
Workshop for:
- Precision fabrication of semi-rigid coaxial cables
- Microscopic inspection
- Prototype assembly, cabling, patches & fixes
- Series production and assembly
Our people
Antwerp Space crew
A dedicated and talented group of people with a passion for space, who enjoy their work and take pride in their accomplishments. These qualities, demonstrated every day, make Antwerp Space a trusted partner to enable, assure and protect our customers’ interests.
ENGINEERING
We employ highly skilled engineers, mainly Masters and PhDs, a multi-cultural group perfectly attuned to the international environment of the space sector. Our multi-disciplinary team of engineers design highly reliable solutions, producing satisfied customers.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Competent project managers capable of leading complex developments in-house, ensuring projects are delivered to schedule, within budget and to the highest standard. They work in close collaboration with universities and industrial partners.
QUALITY
An experienced staff taking care of all quality assurance and configuration management related aspects, essential to deliver highly reliable, first-time-right customer solutions in space.
SUPPORTING ROLES
Our supporting functions, from procurement to finance, and HR to administration, provide our business areas with everything they need to deliver the highest standards for our customers.
Management Team
Marco Fuchs
Chairman Board of Directors
Koen Puimège
Managing Director
Jelle De Parade
Finance & Contracts Director
Mattias Genbrugge
COO
Koen Puimège
Head of Business Development a.i.
Johan Vermeulen
Head of Quality
Véronique Van den Brande
HRM
Our history
Antwerp Space, more than 50 years of experience in Space Systems.
Our roots go back to 1962, when we were set up as a division within the Alcatel Bell group. We became an autonomous subsidiary in the 90's.
Timeline
- Antwerp Space has been active in space technology since 1962.
- Originally a division of Bell Telephone Manufacturing Company, later known as Alcatel Bell, it became an autonomous subsidiary of the Alcatel Space group in 1998. At that time, the company still included defence related activities and was called “Alcatel Bell Space and Defence“.
- Only a year later, in 1999, the defence related activities were sold and the company became “Alcatel Bell Space“.
- With the alliance between Alcatel Space and Finmeccanica, the company became part of Alcatel Alenia Space in 2005 and was renamed to “Alcatel Alenia Space Antwerp“.
- In 2007, Thales acquired the overall space related activities from Alcatel. As a consequence, the company got the name “Thales Alenia Space Antwerp“.
- Following a strategic review, Thales Alenia Space sold the company’s shares to OHB AG in July 2010, after which its name has been changed to “Antwerp Space“.
- Today, Antwerp Space is a fast growing company focusing on the delivery of satellite communication, navigation and radar subsystems/equipment as well as customized products for scientific, exploration and telecommunication missions.
Who we are
Antwerp Space is one of Belgium’s oldest and most experienced space companies.
Antwerp Space is a very experienced Belgian space engineering company and a well-recognized industrial player by the European Space Agency and the European Commission. Antwerp Space has an established presence in the European space market and is in most cases the leader of technically complex space projects, supported by a consortium of partners from all over Europe.
The company employs highly skilled engineers and technicians from all over the world, the majority of which hold an engineering degree, with strong expertise in the areas of digital signal processing, hardware and software design, as well as in project management and technical leadership.
OHB SE Group: big in space
Antwerp Space is part of the larger OHB SE group (ISIN: DE0005936124, Prime Standard), one of Europe’s success stories in the field of contemporary space. Today it can call itself the third largest space group in Europe.
The OHB SE group has been growing at a steady pace over the last three decades and its footprint in Europe has continuously expanded. Nowadays, there are subsidiaries in Austria, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Luxembourg, Greece, the Czech Republic and of course Belgium. Despite its size, OHB SE is still a family business, run by the Fuchs family.