Luxembourg, 26 January 2021. – The Netherlands cooperates with Norway to test Dutch space technology on Norway’s new national satellite NorSat Technology Demonstrator (NorSat-TD), the Norwegian Space Agency said.
NorSat-TD will test technologies in orbit for Norwegian companies, state actors and international partners, it said. The Netherlands Space Office (NSO) will test communication between NorSat-TD and ground stations via laser technology.
With the Dutch payload, called Small Communication Active Terminal (SmallCAT), the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFO) will perform crucial tests in laser communication with their ground stations, the agency said.
The French company ThrustMe will, in cooperation with the French space organization CNES and NOSA, test its new electrical thruster that uses iodine as fuel.
“The new satellite will increase the competency of the Norwegian space sector, particularly in the field of advanced communications technologies, as well as in satellite control and operations in orbit”, NOSA concluded.
