February 1, 2023 – Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to provide electric propulsion for incorporation on their GEO-KOMPSAT-3 (GK3) satellite. Scheduled for launch in 2027, GK3 is a multi-band communications satellite that will provide broadband satellite communication services in the Korean Peninsula and surrounding maritime areas. In particular, it will support national maritime rescue and protection; monitoring water disasters in mountains, rivers and dams; and emergency response to other disaster situations. In addition, GEO-KOMPSAT-3 will also feature a Data Collection System (DCS) mission and a Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) mission for satellite navigation augmentation service. TETRA, Thales Alenia Space’s new electric propulsion product line designed and assembled in the UK, draws on the proven success and flight heritage of the SpaceBus NEO platform propulsion subsystems combined with support from the UK Space Agency. TETRA is a modern, light-weight, efficient and compact solution that is easy to physically, electrically and thermally accommodate. It’s long lifetime and flexible design makes it suitable for different orbits and applications including mega-constellations, Earth observation satellites, In-orbit servicing and hybrid geostationary satellites to fully meet customers’ requirements.