Thales Alenia Space @ the UK Space Conference

In the Spotlight

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Mar 23 2023

In the Spotlight

Thales Alenia Space is attending the UK Space Conference from May 30 to June 1, 2017 in Manchester. Organized under the auspices of the UK Space Agency, the Space Conference will bring together the entire UK space community, including manufacturers, users, entrepreneurs, researchers, academia and government. Over 1,000 participants are expected this year. A key event for Thales Alenia Space, the Space Conference gives the company a sterling opportunity to highlight its activities in the United Kingdom.

Thales Alenia Space in the UK

Thales Alenia Space’s UK subsidiary, established in 2014, is proud of its world-leading design, test, integration and manufacturing capabilities at three sites in the UK: Bristol, Harwell and Belfast. It is a leading British player in propulsion systems, satellite subsystems and system design studies. Through RAL, Thales Alenia Space also deploys AIT (assembly, integration, testing) capabilities in the United Kingdom, along with considerable expertise in satellite systems, which will enable it to act as prime contractor for British-built satellites and constellations in the near future. The company created over 100 new jobs between 2015 and 2016 in the UK, and this impressive growth is set to continue, giving it the full range of skills and capabilities needed to make an important contribution to the space industry’s future in the UK, based on game-changing technologies.

Thales Alenia Space in the UK is a committed partner to the European Space Agency (ESA), the UK Space Agency (UKSA), industry, government, academia and other partners. It delivers cutting-edge solutions to support a wide range of telecommunications, observation, navigation, science and exploration applications.

In addition, it contributes to a variety of ESA science programs, including the ExoMars rover and the BepiColumbo mission to Mercury. Thales Alenia Space in the UK is also responsible for the Broadband Radiometer, a spaceborne instrument developed as part of ESA’s “EarthCARE” program, which will help scientists better understand and monitor climate change. Thales Alenia Space in the UK is also making a major contribution to Spacebus NEO telecommunications satellite platform.

Thales Alenia Space in Belfast

On October 18, 2015, in a ceremony attended by British astronaut Major Tim Peak, Thales Alenia Space and Thales celebrated the opening of their new £5 million Propulsion Centre in Belfast, a major milestone that reflects Thales and Thales Alenia Space’s commitment to investing in the UK to design and build next-generation propulsion systems. This new facility offers 550 square meters of clean rooms, clearly illustrating Thales’ world-class industrial capabilities.

Thales Alenia Space in Bristol

Thales Alenia Space operates at the Bristol Business Park, with advanced facilities that include a clean room dedicated to the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) of spaceborne equipment, separate from the main laboratory. Laboratory staff include ESA-trained technicians, who are familiar with the assembly of both airborne and space hardware.

The team’s skills span scientific research, technology demonstrators, flight hardware, experience as instrument prime contractor and systems integration.

Thales Alenia Space in Harwell

Thales Alenia Space’s offices are located on the Harwell Science, Innovation and Business Campus in Oxfordshire. The campus is home to over 4,500 people dedicated to science and technology. Major companies and agencies on the site include the European Space Agency, STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, home of RAL Space and the UK Satellite Applications centre.

Thales Alenia Space’s Harwell facility hosts the primary engineering team for Spacebus NEO propulsion. It is also the propulsion center of excellence for Thales Alenia Space, and houses the propulsion R&D team.

Thales Alenia Space in the UK works closely with all partners and makes an active contribution to the UK’s growing space community, by taking a major role on the production of spacecraft and instruments for future space missions.