Lagos, 24 November 2025. – Terma has secured its largest space contract to date from OHB System AG to supply critical hardware for the European Space Agency’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, planned for launch in 2035.
Under the agreement, Terma will deliver Power Conditioning and Distribution Units (PCDUs) for the spacecraft together with six specialized ground test systems that verify performance and readiness before launch, leveraging next-generation of power technology to maximize efficiency.
Meanwhile, LISA will will be the first space-based observatory to detect gravitational waves; ripples in spacetime caused by the most powerful events in the Universe. The mission comprises three spacecrafts flying 2.5 million kilometers apart, linked by lasers that measure ripples in spacetime equal to distortions in distance smaller than the width of an atom.
Furthermore, LISA is expected to observe gravitational waves from sources such as merging supermassive black holes and compact binaries, and may capture signals from the early universe, addressing questions that current telescopes cannot answer.
For LISA, Terma’s contributions relate to mission assurance; robust, efficient power for the satellites including the science instruments and comprehensive preflight verification so that every critical link and interface works as designed when the spacecraft reach operational orbit.
By optimizing power conditioning and distribution, Terma’s PCDUs will consequently improve the mission’s overall system stability, while reducing energy losses that can threaten the performance of the sensitive instruments.
“LISA is a leap for science and for Europe. With our flight power systems and comprehensive test solutions, OHB, TAS, and ESA can count on reliable performance when it matters most,” said Günther Lackner, Senior Vice President, Space, Terma. “We’re proud to help prove Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.”
Terma’s end-to-end test solutions approach will also help partners resolve issues on Earth rather than in orbit and support lifecycle efficiency through open, modular architectures that simplify upgrades and maintenance over the program’s lifetime.
