Shares in SCISYS, the Chippenham-headquartered specialist IT group, soared to a new high yesterday after it won a €18m (£16m) contract to supply technology to the pioneering Heinrich Hertz satellite-communications project.
The group’s space division will provide the ground station control and communications infrastructure for the German national mission as prime contractor – a step up from its traditional role as a subsystem supplier in previous satellite projects. 
The equipment for the Heinrich Hertz project will incorporate SCISYS’ proprietary Pleniter software suite, which enables planning, implementation, control and operation of complete satellite missions.
The Heinrich Hertz mission aims to explore and test new communications technologies in space at a technical and scientific level. This will help determine how broadband communications, for example, can result in high data rates for mobile users.
The project, led by German space group OHB System, starts this year with most revenues delivered between next year and the scheduled completion date in 2021.
SCISYS Space divisional director Dr Horst Wulf said: “This great success reflects the outstanding work of SCISYS Space as a partner in the ground segment of many key national and international space missions.
“Consequently we are now taking a step-change from a subsystem supplier role to being the prime contractor for the full ground segment of an important national space mission. Our state-of-the-art software solution will combine both reliable automation technologies and non-automated software elements.”
SCISYS CEO Klaus Heidrich added: “This exceptional win underscores that our growth strategy in this domain is bearing fruit not least because of the proprietary Pleniter product. My congratulations go out to the entire management and team in our space division who have been working on this opportunity to finally secure this great success.”
SCISYS shares rose 5.4% to reach 116p yesterday when news of the contract win was announced by the group on the London Stock Exchange – a far cry from the position just over two years ago when they crashed to 58p amid a crisis over losses on a major contract.
Since then the group, which has its roots in the European Space Agency, has won a strong set of orders, including a number based on its Pleniter suite of products aimed at the space industry.
Last November it landed a contract to play a pivotal role in the launch of the OneWeb global satellite system, the world’s largest satellite constellation which aims to provide connectivity to billions of people around the world.
And in February it won a €3.7m (£3.17m) contract with Italian group Thales Alenia Space to help design, code and verify software for the ExoMars RSP (rover and surface platform) mission in 2020.
SCISYS, which employs nearly 450 staff across its offices in Brislington, Chippenham, Leicester and Reading and two in Germany, provides highly specialised software and IT services to organisations across the space, defence, media and government sectors.
Shares in SCISYS, the specialist IT group, soared to a new high yesterday after it won a €18m (£16m) contract to supply technology to the pioneering Heinrich Hertz satellite-communications project.
The Chippenham-headquartered group’s space division will provide the ground station control and communications infrastructure for the German national mission as prime contractor – a step up from its traditional role as a subsystem supplier in previous satellite projects.
The equipment for the Heinrich Hertz project will incorporate SCISYS’ proprietary Pleniter software suite, which enables planning, implementation, control and operation of complete satellite missions.
The Heinrich Hertz mission aims to explore and test new communications technologies in space at a technical and scientific level. This will help determine how broadband communications, for example, can result in high data rates for mobile users.
The project, led by German space group OHB System, starts this year with most revenues delivered between next year and the scheduled completion date in 2021.
SCISYS Space divisional director Dr Horst Wulf said: “This great success reflects the outstanding work of SCISYS Space as a partner in the ground segment of many key national and international space missions.
“Consequently we are now taking a step-change from a subsystem supplier role to being the prime contractor for the full ground segment of an important national space mission. Our state-of-the-art software solution will combine both reliable automation technologies and non-automated software elements.”
SCISYS CEO Klaus Heidrich added: “This exceptional win underscores that our growth strategy in this domain is bearing fruit not least because of the proprietary Pleniter product. My congratulations go out to the entire management and team in our space division who have been working on this opportunity to finally secure this great success.”
SCISYS shares rose 5.4% to reach 116p yesterday when news of the contract win was announced by the group on the London Stock Exchange – a far cry from the position just over two years ago when they crashed to 58p amid a crisis over losses on a major contract.
Since then the group, which has its roots in the European Space Agency, has won a strong set of orders, including a number based on its Pleniter suite of products aimed at the space industry.
Last November it landed a contract to play a pivotal role in the launch of the OneWeb global satellite system, the world’s largest satellite constellation which aims to provide connectivity to billions of people around the world.
And in February it won a €3.7m (£3.17m) contract with Italian group Thales Alenia Space to help design, code and verify software for the ExoMars RSP (rover and surface platform) mission in 2020.
SCISYS, which employs nearly 450 staff across its offices in Chippenham, Bristol, Leicester and Reading and two in Germany, provides highly specialised software and IT services to organisations across the space, defence, media and government sectors.
