PRESS RELEASE SENER Participates in The

PRESS RELEASE

SENER participates in the 10th Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Society of Astronomy SEA 2012

Madrid, July 4, 2012 - For yet another year, SENER will take part in the tenth annual Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Society of Astronomy (SEA), which will be held July 9-13 in Valencia. The main purpose of this conference is to create a forum for scientific discussion where the Spanish astronomy community and its guests can present their latest work, encourage the transmission of results and discuss new projects.

On Friday 13, at 9.20 am, a SENER responsible will give the conference ‘SENER in Astronomy’. Also, during the event the company will show off its latest contracts in the space sector, particularly for the Solar Orbiter scientific mission. This project will study the sun’s upper latitudes and poles and is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the United States space agency, NASA. For this ambitious project, SENER has been awarded the contract to supply the communication antenna subsystem, which will involve over 100,000 hours of engineering work for the company. This is in addition to supplying the subsystems for the instrument boom and feed-throughs, doors and mechanisms. On top of this, the company will also be collaborating on the ESPADA and PHI scientific instrument assemblies. All of this has positioned SENER as the leader of this ambitious space program.

Besides, SENER will exhibit its latest projects in the Astronomy sector, developed through NTE-SENER, a subsidiary company that holds a unique position as a supplier of positioning mechanisms for large telescopes and their optical instruments, in addition to working in other areas of the Space and Health sector.

Among the main projects that will be displayed at the exhibition, of special note is the JPCam panoramic camera actuator system for the T250 Telescope, which is being built in the Javalambre Astrophysics Observatory (Teruel, Spain). The JPCam is fully financed by Brazil. NTE-SENER is responsible for the design, manufacturing, verification and delivering of both the telescope's support structure and the actuator system which will anchor the camera to it. The latter system is one of the JPCam's most complex and critical systems.

In addition to this most recent contract, NTE-SENER will also have other developments for instrumentation systems for ground-based telescopes on display at SEA, including the filter-wheels for OSIRIS, a low-resolution long-slit and multiobject spectrograph to be installed in the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC); the electronic subsystems for EMIR, an infrared multiobject spectrograph, also for the GTC, which will work under cryogenic conditions; the ACD (Amplitude Calibration Device) robotic arm for the ALMA radio-telescope, responsible for placing calibrated loads in front of its antenna receivers; and the main unit of the GRAAL (Ground Layer Adaptive Optics Assisted by Lasers) instrument, an adaptive optics module for the VLT (Very Large Telescope).

The stand will also feature the company's custom mirror drive systems, such as the fifth mirror field stabilisation unit for the E-ELT (European Extremely Large Telescope); the secondary and tertiary mirror drive systems for the IRAIT robotic telescope; and the secondary mirror drive systems for the GTC and VISTA telescopes and for EST (European Solar Telescope).

Through NTE-SENER, SENER has worked in the astronomy sector and in large scientific installations since the year 2000. The company supplies high-precision positioning and pointing systems for optical and electro-optical instruments and equipment for clients such as the European Southern Observatory (ESO),

Further information: Oihana Casas. Communications. SENER Phone (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085 www.sener.es among others. Its activity in this field is also on display at the 2012 SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation exhibit, held in Amsterdam on July 1–4. This event brings together the most important companies and institutions involved in the development of earth- or space-based telescopes and that provide support and instrumentation technology for the field of astronomy.

Both SENER and NTE-SENER are major players in other sectors of the space industry: SENER develops components and systems for the flight segment in its three spheres of activity: precision mechanisms; guidance, navigation and control systems (GNC); and optical payloads. In precision mechanisms, it has successfully delivered projects such as the entire medium- and high-gain antenna system for the BepiColombo satellite, which must operate in environments that experience abrupt changes in temperature. In the field of optical payloads, SENER is completing projects such as the ultraviolet camera for the World Space Observatory satellite, a collaborative project between Spain and Russia where SENER will be responsible for delivering the complete camera for its subsequent integration into the satellite. Lastly, in GNC systems, SENER has a wide portfolio of projects, such as the Herschel and Planck Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS), for which SENER has been a first-level contractor. Currently, SENER is also prime contractor for the Proba 3 formation flying mission, where it is responsible for the complete mission.

Meanwhile, NTE-SENER specializes in developing and supplying instruments for microgravity and manned flights, instrumentation and control systems for life-support systems (with projects such as MARES, MELISSA or MIDASS), and electronic subsystems for scientific payloads on manned and unmanned missions. Among the latter, the LISA Pathfinder and Foton M3 missions merit special mention.

SENER at SEA Fundación Universidad Empresa - ADEIT Plaza Virgen de la Paz, 3 Valencia July 9–13, 2012 www.sea-astronomia.es

About NTE-SENER NTE-SENER was founded in 1987 and has formed part of the SENER Group since 2009. NTE-SENER currently develops instruments and electronics for science and research in Space, high precision mechatronics for Astronomy and large scientific installations, and high technology for the Healthcare sector. Today, the company leads complex technological projects in which it applies its capacities in systems engineering and multi-disciplinary design (structures, thermal controls, precision mechatronics, signal processing and acquisition, embedded microprocessors and software, power electronics, RAMS engineering and analysis of human factors in space). It is certified in accordance with the most stringent standards: ESA, NASA, ESO, ECSS, IEEE, SAE, MIL, etc.

NTE-SENER combines more than 20 years of NTE's experience in the space sector, where it has achieved renowned prestige in instrumentation for manned missions, life support systems in space and electronic subsystems for space missions with more than 40 years of space work accumulated by SENER. The latter has flawlessly supplied more than 150 units of equipment to 46 satellites, has participated in ESA and NASA missions, and is currently recognised as one of the leading Spanish companies in Space.

About SENER SENER, a private engineering and technology group, was founded in 1956. It seeks to offer its clients the most advanced technological solutions and enjoys international recognition, thanks to its independence and its commitment to innovation and quality. SENER has a workforce of more than 5,000 professionals and a turnover of €1.16 billion (2011 figures).

SENER engages in the specific activities of Engineering and Construction, and also has industrial holdings in companies involved in Energy and the Environment, as well as in Aeronautics. Its Engineering and Construction Division, SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A. has become one of the leading Spanish engineering firms, with a turnover of more than €653 million (2011 figures), around 2,200 employees and offices in Abu Dhabi, Algiers, Barcelona, Bilbao, Buenos Aires, Busan (South Korea), Lisbon, Madrid, Mexico City, Okayama (Japan), San Francisco, Seville, Valencia and Warsaw.

Further information: Oihana Casas. Communications. SENER Phone (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085 www.sener.es Links:

www.sener.es; www.nte-sener.es ; www.sea-astronomia.es; www.spie.org

Further information: Oihana Casas. Communications. SENER Phone (+34) 91 807 7318 / 679 314 085 www.sener.es