With engineering design teams in Harwell and state-of-the-art 550m² clean room facilities in Belfast, a demonstration of the world-class industrial capabilities of Thales, propulsion modules for the Spacebus NEO satellite platform are designed in Harwell and assembled in Belfast before being transported to the Thales Alenia Space integration facilities in Cannes. Because of its unrivaled expertise in dual (civil/military) missions, constellations, flexible payloads, altimetry, meteorology and high-resolution optical and radar instruments, Thales Alenia Space is the natural partner to countries that want to expand their space program. Spacecraft engineers from Thales Alenia Space in the UK designed, tested and assembled the Remote Interface Units for ESA’s BepiCoumbo Mecury Planatory Orbitor (MPO) spacecraft and the BepiColumbo Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) spacecraft. This acquisition will reinforce the perimeter of its new subsidiary Thales Alenia Space UK and will boost its growth in systems engineering and research & technology (R&T). As a committed partner to the European Space Agency (ESA), the UK Space Agency (UKSA) amongst others, Thales Alenia Space delivers cutting-edge solutions to support a wide range of Telecommunications, Earth Observation, Navigation, Science and Exploration applications. Thales Alenia Space is committed to growing its capabilities in the UK and partnering with companies to support the growth of the UK’s innovative and dynamic space industry. The Gateway has a major presence on-site and comprises a growing cluster of space organisations including the European Space Agency’s European Centre for Space Applications and Telecommunications (ECSAT), STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the home of RAL Space and the UK Satellite Applications Catapult. The RIU supports the drive of the chemical propulsion system enabling critical manoeuvres in the orbit around Mecury as well as ensuring the analysis of key sun sensor data to orientate the spacecraft. For Science missions the UK team are working on a -270°C (2K) Joule-Thomson Cooler development program to support the Athena mission. It is proud to work with SMEs in the sector and collaborate with academia to develop advanced technologies for spacecraft and instrumentation for future space and scientific missions. On October 18, 2016, in a ceremony attended by British astronaut Tim Peake, Thales Alenia Space and Thales celebrated the opening of a new Propulsion Integration 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. Thales Alenia Space in the UK has now space capabilities to be a prime contractor for ESA and UK national satellite programmes. As a leading company for the design of satellite propulsion systems, satellite subsystems and system design studies in the UK, Thales Alenia Space expands its competences to the design, integration and testing (AIT) of new innovative payloads for both civil and military applications. Thales Alenia Space in the UK contributes to a variety of ESA programs, including the ExoMars Rover and the BepiColumbo mission to Mercury.
The campus is home to over 5,500 people dedicated to science and technology. Thales Alenia Space is a commercial entity and welcomes opportunities for collaboration and partnerships to support the growth of the space sector in the UK.
Thales Alenia Space UK has recently opened their new offices in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which in addition to space propulsion activities in Belfast, and now the acquisition of SEA’s space business has established Thales Alenia Space as a national contributor to the UK space industry.
Our, Thales Alenia Space – UK, Harwell, Bristol & Belfast. john.warehand@thalesgroup.com, Thales Alenia Space expands presence in UK with acquisition of SEA’s space business, chrystelle.dugimont@thalesaleniaspace.com. In total, each interface unit has over 1000 interface lines whose performance had to be fully verified. Shorts Missile Systems was renamed Thales Air Defence Limited (TADL) in 2001, and Thales has continued to invest heavily in the UK Space industry and Belfast itself ever since. Thales Alenia Space believes in space as humankind’s new horizon, which will enable to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. Thales Alenia Space UK has recently opened their new offices in Harwell, Oxfordshire, which in addition to space propulsion activities in Belfast, and now the acquisition of SEA’s space business has established Thales Alenia Space as a national contributor to the UK space industry. In 2017, the UK Space Agency selected Thales Alenia Space in the UK for the assembly, integration and test for MicroCarb; a joint UK-French satellite mission, to monitor source and sinks of carbon and in 2018, the company was awarded the assembly Integration and testing (AIT) and avionics test for PLATO, an ESA science programme for a mission planned in 2026. Harwell, UK, June 9 2014 –Thales Alenia Space announced today the completion of the acquisition of the space activities of Systems Engineering & Assessment Limited (SEA), part of Cohort plc. Thales Alenia Space in the UK has now space capabilities to be a prime contractor for ESA and UK national satellite programmes. Amongst the laboratory staff are European Space Agency trained technicians, familiar with the assembly of both airborne and space hardware.
