Ariane 6 Rocket Launch Takes Irish Space Company Réaltra to New Heights

Today, 9th July, Réaltra will reach its next big milestone, as the new European rocket launch vehicle, the Ariane 6, is scheduled to launch between 19:00-23:00 IST this evening at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. On board will be two state-of-the-art technology systems designed, built and delivered by the Irish space engineering company, Réaltra: the Video Telemetry System (VIKI), and the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) telemetry system (GEKI).
The Ariane 6 is a launch vehicle designed and built by ArianeGroup on behalf of the European Space Agency (ESA). For the development of Ariane 6, ESA is working with an industrial network in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor and design authority ArianeGroup. Building on the success of its predecessors, the Ariane 6 will ensure Europe continues to have secure and autonomous access to space in the future.
The Ariane 6 will launch a wide range of space missions over the next decade, including multiple payload missions.
Irish company Réaltra has designed and delivered VIKI, the Video Telemetry System, which will provide the live HD video telemetry images during all phases of the launcher mission, from six cameras located on-board the Ariane 6. GEKI, the GNSS system will leverage advanced satellite navigation technology to ensure precise positioning, velocity, and timing measurements.
It is intended to fly as an autonomous experimental system on this first launch of Ariane 6, to validate the GNSS functionality in space at high speeds.
The inaugural Ariane 6 launch is primarily a demonstration flight, however, satellites, deployers and experiments from companies, research institutes, universities, young professionals and space agencies are flying as passengers. This flight will carry multiple cube-sats from companies and organizations, and payloads that will remain attached to the rocket's upper stage, one of which is Réaltra's state-of-the-art GNSS telemetry system GEKI.
Minister Emer Higgins said: "Enterprise Ireland has played an important role in connecting the Irish space industry and research community for participation in European Space Agency Programmes and we are very proud of Irish company Réaltra for its contribution to this new pioneering European rocket, the Ariane 6. Working in space demands the highest engineering and manufacturing standards and skills.
The inclusion of Réaltra's technology in the Ariane 6 is a testament to their market-leading expertise, and an inspiration to other Irish companies in the highly specialised space market."
Danny Gleeson, CCO of Réaltra said: "We are delighted and proud that the Réaltra Video Telemetry and GNSS systems have been selected to fly on the maiden flight of the Ariane A6 launcher. Our partnership with ArianeGroup is a testament to the dedication and talent of our team in Ireland in providing cutting-edge solutions for the global space market."
"This achievement marks a major milestone for Réaltra and demonstrates the company's commitment to delivering innovative solutions and commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology for space applications. Since the establishment of Réaltra in 2018, we have built up significant experience and legacy in providing innovative space solutions and we look forward to expanding on these successes" said Michael Martin, Engineering Manager of Réaltra.
Paul White, Managing Director, Realtime Technologies Ltd., said "We are very proud that our Réaltra division in Realtime Technologies has been selected by ArianeGroup to join their industrial team for the development of the GNSS and video telemetry kit for the historic Ariane 6 launch vehicle. The selection of Réaltra by ArianeGroup is a testament to the hard work, deep experience and high standards displayed by our staff."
Padraig Doolan, National Delegate to European Space Agency (ESA) said: "Enterprise Ireland has been proud to support the talented team at Réaltra and we want to extend our congratulations to the entire team, who ...