To support our growth in terms of production volumes, staff and turnover, we are building a major extension of our premises in Nivelles which will be fully completed by the end of 2023. This facilities extension comes together with our rebranding in April 2023.
These new areas will bring our facilities to 10.000m² (2.000m² Clean Room) and will include a new office building, as well as a dedicated entity for R&D activities. Two thirds of the new production area (incl. 1.250m² clean room) are already functional since summer 2022.
April 11th 2023 is an important step in this process as we move in our new office building.
EHP new office building
Starting from April 11th 2023, all deliveries and visitors access will be welcomed at 9 rue de la science, 1400 Nivelles, Belgium, which corresponds to our new office building (450m away from the previous entrance, see details below).
Looking forward to seeing you soon in Nivelles!
EHP new entrance (rue de la science), 450m away from the previous one
On April 3rd 2023, to reflect the growth of our company, “Euro Heat Pipes” brand evolves towards “EHP”. EHP started as a “heat pipes” company focused on European market and is now delivering a wide variety of thermal & mechanical products to a worldwide customer base.
To highlight our focus on Space sector, our website will be updated to www.ehp.space, as well as our email addresses. Our new logo is also presented above.
As a Space-focused company, EHP, based in Nivelles (Belgium), with around 100 highly skilled employees, develops, qualifies and manufactures thermal & mechanical components/systems for spacecraft based on two-phase heat transfer technology (such as heat pipes and loop heat pipes) and deployable equipment.
EHP is the leader in the two-phase thermal control for space application market, with a demonstrated production capacity of 4.000+ heat pipes per year and per shift. EHP products are embarked on a wide variety of European, North American & Asian spacecraft, from constellations (like OneWeb) to cutting edge science missions (like JUICE probe to Jupiter or fundamental physics study spacecraft).
Or contact us for further information our Programs & Business Development Director: sales@ehp.be
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about the rebranding of Euro Heat Pipes to EHP:
Why do you change your brand name? Why “EHP”?
Since “Euro Heat Pipes” foundation in 2001, the company ambition at that time to become the European leader for space heat pipes has been far exceeded: we are now delivering to a worldwide customer base a large portfolio of thermal control & deployable products. The “EHP” brand suits better the today’s reality of our company, while keeping advantage of the existing fame of the company (as EHP acronym is already widely used for years to name our firm)
Is the official name of the company changed?
No, as for now, the current official name (registered at administrative level) of the company “Euro Heat Pipes SA” will remain the same. In case of change, this would be announced through further communication.
Will the email addresses change? Will the previous email addresses still work?
Yes. Your EHP partners will write you from email addresses @ehp.space. No worry, the former email addresses @ehp.be will remain active in reception sufficient time to permit a smooth transition.
Does the new brand affect the bank details?
No, our bank details remain unchanged.
Does the VAT number change?
No, our current VAT number (BE047451723) remains unchanged.
Has the ownership of the company changed?
No.
Does the rebranding affect the current contracts or open offers?
Absolutely not, all our contractual agreements & commitments remain valid.
Manufactured by Thales Alenia Space, Konnect VHTS will lift-off from Kourou on the 7th of september 2022, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.
EHP is very proud to see its thermal control products flying on this satellite, enabling Thales Alenia Space to build always greater and more powerful spacecraft.
Eutelsat Konnect VHTS – Thales Alenia Space
This is the most powerful telecommunications satellite ever built in Europe.
Eutelsat Konnect VHTS – Thales Alenia Space
This outstanding satellite, which measures 9 meters high (a 3-storey building!) and weighs 6.5 tons, will provide very high speed internet services across Europe, particularly for the existing “white spots” where no or little coverage is available today.
Euro Heat
Pipes work is quoted in the newspaper “l’Echo” in an article dedicated to the
space probe JUICE (JUpiter ICy moons Explorer) which will explore the icy moons
of Jupiter named Ganymede, Europa and Callisto.
Credits to ESA for the illustration picture
We can
be proud of our contribution to this space probe JUICE which is noteworthy in many ways:
This is the first time that an European probe will go so far in the solar sytem
Beyond providing the heat pipes for the probe, we have also performed dedicated studies & trials to assess the impact of the radiations (much harsher around Jupiter) on our products.
This probe will leave Earth in 2023 and will make an incredible trip to reach Jupiter:
After leaving Earth,
it will pass by Venus in 2025
will come back close to Earth in 2026
will go beyond Mars …
but will come back close to Earth, one more time, in 2029
and will finally reach Jupiter moons in 2031
Why such a complicated journey ?
A tremendous amount of energy is required to
reach the outer solar system. In order to cap the fuel quantity onboard, the
probe will make several gravity-assist maneuvers (also called swing-by): by
entering and leaving the gravitational sphere of influence of a planet, which
is orbiting around the Sun, the probe will be able to accelerate (and also to
change direction) with no fuel consumption.
Subsidiary at 51% of Airbus since 2017, Euro Heat Pipes (EHP) company, based in Nivelles (Belgium), has delivered a set of 27 heat pipes (thermal control systems for spacecraft) which allow the transfer of the excess heat to cold areas of the spacecraft.
EHP has completed its major TELECOM ARTES 4.0 project with ESA funds.
Objectives
The 3 mains goals of this ESA & EHP co-funded project are:
Achieve a major increase in terms of EHP heat pipes production capacity
Achieve a major decrease in terms of EHP heat pipes production cost
Develop & qualify a new heat pipe product (AG128) for OneWeb project
Challenges
Although heat pipes are well-known products at EHP since decades, its industrialisation (reliable and stable production of large volumes) remained undeveloped.
Improvement of manufacturing processes efficiency and beat rates were challenges.
Example of EHP heat pipe with its marking
Benefits
Thanks to the increase of production during the last years, EHP is in a very good situation to propose products with a demonstrated reliability, produced within an existing production line, whose capacity has been demonstrated.
Features
Heat pipes allow to transport a significant amount of heat (typically 100 Watts) over a significant length (typically a few meters), within a negligible thermal gradient (typically a few degrees); which is thousands of times more efficient than thermal straps.
Example of a heat pipe batch during manufacturing
They are also very reliable as they have no moving parts, which is key for space industry.
Example of heat pipe during machining
System Architecture
Heat pipes are used at spacecraft level for their thermal control. They are mounted on panels or embedded into panels.Plan
Plan
Several phases of industrialization were defined and deployed within EHP workshop in order to implement gradually the updates.Current status
Current Status
Project is successfully completed.
This huge increase of the EHP deliveries transformed EHP into a major worldwide space heat pipes manufacturer.
This also permitted EHP:
To extend its marketshare in traditional sectors (European SatCom)
To reach new markets (US satellite manufacturers)
From a socio-economic point of view, deployed production line creates 11 full-time jobs at EHP (+ indirect jobs e.g. subco level)
Beyond the scope of this ESA project
Over the years, EHP has grown from a small 600m² facility to working areas spread over 3 buildings for a total of 4500m². This is not enough for the activities forecasted in the next years With the major OneSat project arriving, and with our heat pipe production continuing to grow, EHP needs much more space.
In 2019, the idea of a new modern building was put on the table. Two years later, in May 2021, the work of a brand new 10 000m² facility has begun
New infrastructure consists of 8000m² of industrial areas, including a 2000m² clean room for the assembly of our thermal and deployable systems. Additionally, it includes a nice 2000m² office building that will offer a well-being working environment to all of us.
The first part of the project, the industrial hall and half of the clean room, are to be delivered in the beginning of 2022. The offices and the rest of the clean room are to be available 6 months later, and the final industrial areas for machining and logistics in the beginning of 2023.
OneWeb
Launch #11 (Flight ST36) is scheduled to depart 14 October at
6:40pm local time (5:40am ET / 9:40am UTC), with 36 satellites on board and
marks one of the most exciting advances yet for OneWeb’s global communications
network.
The launch
will take place from the Vostochny Cosmodrome and will be conducted by
Arianespace. You can view the Launch #11 event live on the website OneWeb.net,
or @oneweb – Youtube.
Each of
these satellites includes several EHP heat pipes, designed & manufactured
within our premises in Nivelles, Belgium.
Our fully-passive heat pipes, equipped with a capillary structure and filled with high-purity ammonia, are a key part of the satellite thermal control.
The dual phase system enables the satellite & the payload to remain within a limited temperature range, despite the very harsh space environment.
In 2016, the OneWeb project started a new era
for EHP with the manufacturing of several thousands of heat pipes within a
timeframe of a few years.
In July 2021, 5 years later, EHP celebrated the
last shipment of this contract. Mission accomplished!
– the several thousands of heat pipes have been
manufactured and 40% of them are already in orbit.
– heat pipes production at EHP has been
transformed: while around 100 items were manufactured on a yearly basis before
the OneWeb project, yearly production reached 3000 items. This high level of
production is ensured for the next years through new contracts.
– new infrastructure have been developed and a
new factory is under construction.
– EHP became one of the world leaders of
space-application heat pipes and has significantly increased its market share.
Regarding
the OneWeb constellation:
OneWeb is a
constellation of 648 telecommunication satellites orbiting in low earth orbit
(1200 km) to supply from 2022 onwards a high-speed internet for private and
commercial customers in non-land serviced regions.
En 2016
commençait une nouvelle page pour EHP avec le lancement du projet OneWeb, pour
la fabrication de milliers de caloducs en quelques années.
En juillet 2021,
5 ans plus tard, EHP célèbre la dernière livraison du contrat. Mission
accomplie !
– les milliers
de caloducs ont été fabriqués et livrés et 40% d’entre eux sont déjà en vol.
– la production
de caloducs chez EHP a été industrialisée, en passant d’environ 100 caloducs
par an avant 2015, à 3000 caloducs par an aujourd’hui. Ce niveau de production
est assuré pour les années à venir via de nouveaux contrats.
– de nouvelles
infrastructures ont été développées et une nouvelle usine est en cours de
construction.
– EHP est devenu
un des leaders mondiaux de la production de caloducs pour l’industrie spatiale
et a su accroitre considérablement ses parts de marché.
Concernant la constellation
OneWeb :
OneWeb est une
constellation de 648 satellites de télécommunications circulant sur une orbite
basse (1200 km) pour fournir aux particuliers et aux entreprises, à partir de
2022, un accès Internet à haut débit via satellite, en particulier dans les
régions non desservies par des liaisons terrestres.
OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite
communications company, will launch 36 satellites (EHP
Heat Pipes onboard) on Thursday, 1 July
2021, marking the completion of its ‘Five to 50’ ambition enabling connectivity
services for the first time to the 50th parallel and above by the year end.
Each of these satellites includes a set of several heat pipes
manufactured by Euro Heat Pipes in Belgium. This new launch will bring the
total number of in-flight satellites to 254.
Service demonstrations will begin this summer in
several key locations – including Alaska and Canada – as OneWeb prepares for
full commercial service in these regions in the next six months. Offering
enterprise grade connectivity services, the company has already announced
distribution partnerships across several industries including with ROCK
Networks, AST Group, PDI, Alaska Communications and others, as OneWeb expands
its global capabilities. The company continues to engage with
telecommunications providers, ISPs, governments and more worldwide to offer its
low latency, high speed connectivity services and sees growing demand for new
connectivity services to connect the hardest to reach places.
Why:
This launch adds another 36 satellites to OneWeb’s 648
LEO satellite fleet that will deliver global connectivity and represents 100
percent of the satellites required to enable its solution to reach all regions
north of 50 degrees latitude.
This launch will enable OneWeb to offer full
connectivity services across the United Kingdom, Alaska, Northern Europe,
Greenland, Iceland, continental U.S., the Arctic Seas and Canada. Commercial
service is expected to be rolled out before the end of the year, and OneWeb
intends to make global service available in 2022.
To mark the fifth and final launch of ‘Five to 50’, with all satellites delivered on time, a welcome message “Hello North Pole” is branded on the rocket, reflecting the significant progress OneWeb has made to secure its Arctic coverage.
KARI is
developing the CAS500-1 system, to meet the public needs for satellite images
efficiently, to expand the domestic satellite industrial base, to cultivate
related industry, and to promote satellite exports.
CAS500 satellite
CAS500
series will adopt the medium-sized standard platform which will be developed
for the CAS500-1 system. It will save the time and cost for the development
considerably. And domestically developed payloads, such as electro-optical
cameras, microwave probes and hyper-spectral imager will be installed on the
standard platform.
CAS500
program is divided into phase I and phase II. In phase I, 500kg class standard
platform will be developed. And two 0.5m resolution electro-optical satellites
(CAS500-1 and CAS500-2) will be developed by using that platform.
While
developing the CAS500-1 system, KARI will transfer the satellite technologies
accumulated over the years to the domestic industry and the CAS500-2 whose
specification is identical to that of CAS500-1, will be developed by domestic
industry.
The CAS500-1
will be launched in 2019 and CAS500-2 in 2020.
The CAS500
can be easily commercialized as it can be developed in a relatively short
period of time at a low cost compared to medium to large sized commercial
satellite. In addition to that, by developing multiple satellites in a short
time and operating them simultaneously, it will help satisfy various public
needs for earth observation and reduce the observation interval.
EHP has been selected by i3system, Inc. (http://www.i3system.com/eng/index.html) to provide the heat pipes (AG060) for the thermal regulation of the Focal Plane Assembly (FPA).
Focal Plan Assembly (FPA) with EHP AG060 heat pipes
Equipped with a high precision laser, this high-tech machine must allow a serious leap forward in weather forecasts, but also in climate science.
The small Vega launch is preparing to launch this Tuesday from Kourou, French Guiana, the European satellite Aeolus, a high-tech machine designed to measure wind worldwide as part of the Copernicus Earth Observation Program to measure winds from space, Aeolus will experiment with a whole new technology based on a high-performance laser (Lidar for Light Detection and Ranging), that will distinguish the lower layers of Earth’s atmosphere (up to 30km height) to produce vertical wind profiles and gather information about aerosols and clouds. This revolutionary instrument, called Aladin (Atmospheric LAser Doppler Instrument), demanded more than 6 years of development and is equipped with a HP thermal BUS, developped by EHP with the support of Airbus DS NL, that enables an optimised thermal control of the LIDAR.
Today’s daily weather forecasts already contain wind information, including probe balloons and field probes. However, the direct measurements are too fragmentary. Scientists and meteorologists need accurate data on the winds periodically to understand the systems that affect weather and climate and improve their forecasts.
Aeolus will be the first satellite to provide them with this information. The prestigious NASA had developed an instrument based on the same technology for its ICEsat satellite.
The information thus collected will make “not only a serious leap forward in the weather forecasts, but also contribute to long-term climate research”,
A subsidiary of Airbus
The satellite was built by Airbus Defense and Space. A Belgian subsidiary of Airbus, the company EHP, established in Nivelles, was involved in the project. Earlier spin-off of ULB and Sabca, EHP (Euro Heat Pipes) specializes in thermal space control space technology. It provides thermal control equipments based on two-phase heat transfer principles.
Aeolus is part of the European Union Copernicus Program. Copernicus’s ambition is to create a system for monitoring and understanding the environment similar to those found for meteorology. The program includes 6 satellite families (radar image, optical, altimetry, chemical analysis, etc.) dedicated to observing land and sea, as well as monitoring the composition of the atmosphere.
This European Earth observation program will generate a phenomenal amount of environmental data. Due to its long-term character, Copernicus must allow the development of downstream services, which the current scientific satellites do not allow.
