The Director General of the European Space Agency, Josef Aschbacher, visits the Thales Alenia Space site in Rome

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The industry is ready to match high ambitions for space in Europe

Rome, 1st June 2021 - Today, the Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA), Josef Aschbacher, visited the Thales Alenia Space site in Rome, where he was welcomed by the CEO of Thales Alenia Space, Hervé Derrey, and Massimo Comparini, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia, as well as by the highest representatives of the French-Italian space joint venture shareholders, Patrice Caine, Chairman and CEO of Thales and Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo.

In its agenda 2025 ESA sets high ambitions for space in Europe where the industry is  not only a supplier but a real partner to reach common goals. Thales Alenia Space is ready to bring its contribution and work together with the space ecosystem , to implement successfully the current voted programs and seize the challenge of new European flagship missions.

© Thales Alenia Space

* (from left to right):

Giovanni Soccodato, Chief Strategic Equity Officer of Leonardo - H. Derrey, CEO Thales Alenia Space, Tolker-Nielsen, ESA’s Acting Director of Earth Observation Programmes - M.Comparini, Senior Executive Vice President Observation, Exploration and Navigation of Thales Alenia Space and CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italy - P.Caine, Chairman & CEO of Thales - J. Aschbacher, ESA Director General - Alessandro Profumo, CEO of Leonardo - Luigi Pasquali, Chief Executive Officer of Telespazio

In this frame and to enhance a win-win cooperation between industry and agencies, Director General Aschbacher visited one of the central hubs of Thales Alenia Space production capacity, where development, integration and testing activities for Telecommunications, Navigation and Earth Observation satellites are implemented. In the technologically advanced 4,000 sqm clean rooms, production lines are fitted with all innovative, autonomous and digital processes, methods and tools fully matching with the new challenges in the space sector.

"I am extremely honoured to welcome ESA's Director General, Josef Aschbacher  in Thales Alenia Space excellence space centre in Rome and to exchange views on how to reach the ambitions of ESA Agenda 2025, and in particular environment protection and digital revolution. Thales Alenia Space as well as the Space Alliance we form with Telespazio will continue to serve the new challenges ahead for more safety and security, more green and digital solutions. I am convinced that working together with the talented actors of the European space ecosystem success will be there, said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.
I would like to thank Director General Josef Aschbacher for his presence today. I’m proud to welcome him, in particular in the plant where the first six new-generation satellites of the Galileo constellation and the CIMR and ROSE-L sentinels, a part of the Copernicus system evolution, will be built, added Massimo Comparini, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia. Data from space and space applications as connectivity, navigation and the vital observation of Earth are more and more crucial to help everyday lives and the new programmes we are implementing here will contribute to increase the role of the space sector in the near future.
"It was a honour for the ESA delegation to be welcomed at the Thales Alenia Space premises in Rome by Thales and Leonardo leadership. The visit, once more, confirmed the excellence of our European industry and its ability to serve Europe both for its own programmes and its global competitiveness. The priorities laid down in Agenda 2025 can only be successfully fulfilled through close collaboration among all the stakeholders, including industry. Through this visit today I got the sense that Thales Alenia Space seizes the challenge leveraging on its strengths and assets." commented Joseph Aschbacher, ESA General Director.

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 1.85 billion euros in 2020 and has around 7,700 employees in nine countries.

www.thalesaleniaspace.com

THALES ALENIA SPACE – PRESS OFFICE CONTACTS
Cinzia Marcanio        Tel: +39 (0)6 415 126 85         cinzia.marcanio@thalesaleniaspace.com
Marija Kovac               Tel: +39 (0)6 415 129 91     marija.kovac-somministrato@thalesaleniaspace.com
Sandrine Bielecki     Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94    sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com
Tarik Lahlou                 Tel: +33(0)6 87 95 89 56    tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com

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