Thales Alenia Space project chief Jean Philippe Chessel added: “We are very proud to support SMI Airstar, this stake is designed to consolidate the development of Stratobus, a very innovative product for a new market involving services from the stratosphere. Airstar Aerospace’s expertise, unrivaled in Europe and recognized worldwide, is already at the heart of Stratobus, and complements the skills offered by Thales Alenia Space and our other partners. Their expertise is a vital factor in the overall success of the program and our aim of starting airship operations as early as 2021. Furthermore, with its core business of developing airships, Airstar Aerospace will enable Thales Alenia Space to develop a comprehensive Stratobus package for the intelligence, surveillance and telecommunications markets, by offering more targeted local applications. Through this strategic link-up, both companies can develop their positions in the airship market and gain a significant head start on our competitors.”
Photo copyright: ©Thales Alenia Space/Briot
About Thales Alenia Spacewww.thalesaleniaspace.com
Thales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative space systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. 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 and solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation. The company capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fast-evolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of about 2.4 billion euros in 2016 and has 7,980 employees in nine countries.Thales Alenia Space press contacts:
Sandrine Bielecki
Tel: +33(0)6 80 59 22 04 Email: sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.comChrystelle Dugimont
Tel: +33 (0)6 25 15 72 93 Email:chrystelle.dugimont@thalesaleniaspace.comAbout Airstar Aerospace
Airstar Aerospace designs and produces captive balloons, stratospheric balloons, dirigibles and thermal protection systems for satellites, and carries out custom-designed projects for customers. Its scope of expertise spans the engineering of innovative flexible materials, assembly of engineered textiles and films, mechanical modeling of large-scale distortion, production of outfitted envelopes and flexible structures, development of equipment for airships (electronics and electromechanical assemblies, complex wiring, mechanical mooring systems, telemetry reception, inflation stations, etc.), integration of payloads (optronic, telecom, radar, etc.), balloon operation and maintenance services, including training.Building on a half-century of experience, Airstar Aerospace considers the safety of its systems and their compliance with regulations a top priority. Many of today’s aerospace leaders are long-standing customers, including Thales, Airbus Defence and Space and French space agency CNES. A major global player in airships, Airstar is a subsidiary of the French industrial group Airstar, a world leader in lighting balloons. It was created in 2015 with the acquisition of the Space branch of Zodiac Marine. Airstar Aerospace has two production facilities in France, one near Grenoble and the other in the greater Toulouse area, both certified ISO 9001.
Airstar Aerospace press contacts:
Jacqueline Couvert du Crestjcouvertducrest@gmail.com
3WM Communications Relations Presse Airstar Aerospace Tel: +33 (0)6 60 98 24 34 Email:Alice Clecha.clech@airstar.world
Airstar Aerospace Service communication Tel: +33 (0)4 76 13 12 20 Email: