Have you ever imagined what your life would be without space systems? For several decades, Thales Alenia Space engineers have been developing satellites aiming to provide connectivity, bridge the digital divide and monitor the environment to safeguard our planet. Some Earth observations satellites keep a benevolent eye over the Earth, observe all the climate mechanisms from space, provide meteorological data and help understand the behavior of our oceans. Satellite-based navigation enables more accurate geolocation of aerial and maritime platforms, objects and people. Thanks to space exploration, humankind is able to push the boundaries of the universe. The company is also using the latest technologies (Quantum, 5G/6G, AI and many more) to pioneer the future of the space sector, in a sustainable way.
A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures, for more than 40 years. We also teamed up with Telespazio to form the Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of solutions including services. The JV operates in ten countries, with 17 facilities in Europe and an industrial plant in the United States. In the UK, Thales Alenia Space owns two industrial plants, in Harwell and Bristol. There is also a “space clean room” inside Thales’ plant in Belfast.
Space presents significant opportunities; the global space economy is projected to grow from an estimated £270 billion in 2019 to £490 billion by 2030. The UK has built a thriving space economy underpinned by a renowned science and technology sector, a strong talent pipeline, and by leading satellite manufacturing and operations capabilities.
Centre of Excellence
In the UK, Thales Alenia Space develops breakthrough technological innovations that contribute to the world’s most advanced space missions. Highly talented teams based in Bristol design, test and build remote sensing instruments, technology demonstrators and electronic systems for on-board space hardware.
Located on Harwell’s Science and Innovation Campus, Oxfordshire and at the Propulsion Integration Centre in Thales Belfast, our teams design and build propulsion systems modules for Thales Alenia Space’s telecommunications satellites to keep them safely positioned in orbit. They also develop low cost, exportable, electric propulsion system for single satellites and constellations. Together, these teams are known as the Propulsion Centre of Competence for the whole of Thales Alenia Space JV.
Space presents significant opportunities; the global space economy is projected to grow from an estimated £270 billion in 2019 to £490 billion by 2030.
Bridging the digital divide and connecting people anywhere, anytime
Today, citizens want to be connected anywhere and anytime; people want to have access to more and more content at any given moment. We want to eliminate all shadow zones and bridge the digital divide to ensure connectivity anywhere in the world. Satellite communications systems, especially the digital variety, are undoubtedly the best solution to meet the requirements of a fast changing and fiercely competitive market.
Very High Throughput Services (VHTS) payload and Spacebus Neo platform
The very high throughput satellite (VHTS) solutions spearheaded by Thales Alenia Space are digital to offer tremendous flexibility. Digital VHTS systems combine high capacity, agility and competitiveness, allowing operators to adapt distribution across their coverage zone at any given moment. In other words, this type of payload addresses the changing needs of operators throughout a typical telecommunications satellite mission’s lifetime. To mention a few, Thales Alenia Space built EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS, the most powerful communications satellite ever built in Europe. Successfully launched in 2022 and based on full-electric platforms, whose propulsion systems where designed and manufactured in the UK, the satellite will contribute to bridging the digital divide, providing fiber-like high speed Internet across Europe, in isolated areas and shadow zones in particular.
Space Inspire™
Based on a new medium-size platform, the Space Inspire™ solution is software-defined, ultra-flexible and fully reprogrammable in orbit, including for coverage zones.
Our new product line, digital technology and flexibility allow satellite operators to dynamically allocate capacity where and when needed, in any bandwidth. Space Inspire™ will redefine the fast changing telecommunications market, confirming Thales Alenia Space position at the forefront of today’s space communications market. In 2022, Thales Alenia Space was selected as the industrial prime contractor for six geostationary telecommunications satellites, including five based on its Space Inspire solution. The company has been leading the geostationary market over the last two years. As for Spacebus Neo ones, these satellites are based on full-electric platforms, whose propulsion systems have been designed and manufactured in the UK.
In 2022, Thales Alenia Space was selected as the industrial prime contractor for six geostationary telecommunications satellites, including five based on its Space Inspire solution.
Expanding our horizons through space science and exploration
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, the Moon, asteroids and comets… Thales Alenia Space is proud to be a major partner in iconic space exploration missions across the Solar System.
Living and working off Earth
After providing a major part of the ISS’ pressurized volume, we were selected to build three pressurized modules for Lunar Gateway. Thales Alenia Space will provide the first two modules of the world's first commercial space station, Axiom. We also worked with Nanoracks startup, or with Space Cargo unlimited to develop “REV1”, a specialized platform for in space experimentation and manufacturing. We’ve also supplied all pressurised cargo modules for the ATV and Cygnus resupply vessels.
Returning to the Moon
One of the pillars in NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon is the so-called Lunar Gateway that will help humans establish a permanent presence on the Moon and function as a waystation for future interplanetary missions. It will also support long-term exploration of the Moon, via regular shuttle flights. Another advantage of the Artemis program is that it will allow us to develop and test the systems and procedures needed to carry out crewed missions to Mars.
In the UK, our teams are contributing to the development of the European System Providing Refuelling, Infrastructure and Telecommunication (ESPRIT) and crew habitation (I-HAB) modules onboard Lunar Gateway.
Exploring oxygen on the moon
In a highly collaborative project, teams in the UK are working to perfect a process of using molten salt and electrolysis to extract oxygen trapped inside moon rock, known as regolith, paving the way for astronauts to base a space station on the Moon for the first time and even for humans to live there.
Our teams are contributing to the development of the European System Providing Refuelling, Infrastructure and Telecommunication (ESPRIT) and crew habitation (I-HAB) modules onboard Lunar Gateway.
Creating a more sustainable life on Earth
By providing experts with accurate data about the weather, the climate and the health of our planet, they can better prepare for storms; understand the impact of climate change; devise plans to protect and optimise the use of natural resources; and protect at-risk populations.
The Sentinel family of satellites, developed on behalf of the European Space Agency within the scope of the European Commission’s Copernicus program, spearheads Europe’s environmental monitoring efforts. Sentinel-1 monitors land and sea in all-weather conditions, day or night, thanks to its radar capabilities. Sentinel-2 and -3 acquire optical imagery at high resolution over land and coastal waters. The Sentinel-4 and -5 are dedicated to meteorology and climatology missions and Sentinel-6 monitors the global ocean. Thales Alenia Space is prime for Sentinel-1 and -3, in charge of the Sentinel-2 image ground segment, contributes to the imager-spectrometer on Sentinel-5P and the Poseidon-4 radar altimeter for Sentinel-6.
The company is also involved in five of the six new Copernicus Expansion missions, three as prime - CIMR, ROSE-L and CHIME - and will supply payloads for two other missions - CO2M and CRISTAL. These new satellites will be used to measure carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere from human activity, check the thickness of ice fields and the snow covering it, support advanced new services for the sustainable management of agriculture and biodiversity, observe the temperature and salinity of sea surfaces, as well as the density of ice fields, and bolster land monitoring and emergency management services.
The UK is a global leader in the way satellites and satellite data is used to monitor the Earth from space to better understand and tackle climate change. At Thales Alenia Space in the UK, we are contributing to two important European climate missions:
MicroCarb, a joint UK and French mission and the first European mission designed to accurately measure the amount of sources and sinks of carbon dioxide and CO2Mission is part of the Copernicus programme that will measure human–induced atmospheric carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
The Sentinel family of satellites, developed on behalf of the European Space Agency within the scope of the European Commission’s Copernicus program, spearheads Europe’s environmental monitoring efforts.
Secured communications, and surveillance and observation for field intelligence
Space will play an ever more critical role in protecting and securing our national interests, providing the assurance and confidence that promotes safety, security, trade, travel and investment.
Thales Alenia Space has supplied military telecommunications systems as prime contractor for more than 40 years and is at the heart of European defence collaboration. Thales brings a depth of systems expertise that gives the UK Ministry of Defence resilience, agility and freedom of action in today’s integrated operations.
Our knowledge of UK military requirements across all these domains, and our ability to design and manufacture equipment for the harshest environments, combined with Thales Alenia Space’s expertise, supports the UK’s critical national infrastructure and its interests around the globe.
Space will play an ever more critical role in protecting and securing our national interests, providing the assurance and confidence that promotes safety, security, trade, travel and investment.
