![]() ![]() To install it, astronauts will have to venture out of the ISS during a spacewalk to mount it on the module’s meteoroids protection panel and connect wires to the unit before it can be switched on.ĬOLKa’s high-speed radio link will transmit scientific data to stations in Europe and the world who are all eager to get the latest results from their experiments, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The device is expected to be installed later this year outside the Columbus module, the ISS science laboratory. Handout photo issued by the ESA of COLka (Columbus Ka-band Terminal) undergoing testing in the Hertz test chamber at the European Space Agency in the Netherlands “The COLKa programme has firmly established MDA in the UK as a leading provider of high-quality space equipment, positioning us for continued business growth and new jobs in both communications and space sensor markets,” said David Kenyon, managing director at MDA UK. ![]() The contract for designing and building the fridge-sized device was awarded to MDA Space and Robotics Limited, a global communications and information company based in Harwell, Oxfordshire. It is the UK’s first contribution to the ISS, which has housed international astronauts since 2000.Īccording to the UK Space Agency, the upgrade will ensure faster communications that are independent from the Nasa system already installed onboard the space station. The Columbus Ka-band Terminal (COLKa), a communications antenna, arrived on a Cygnus supply ship shortly after 9am on February 18. ![]()
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