Facebook 40 years of passion, innovation, and technology at the heart of the global space ecosystem
Rome, December 4, 2023 - Thales Alenia Space, a Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) joint venture, is celebrating 40 years since the establishment of its industrial sites in Rome and LAquila. Four decades that encapsulate a history of adventurous challenges and great successes, where high technology meets high skills in the capable hands of the women and men who bring great professionalism and passion to every project. These sites have forged an important path, thanks to the support and contribution of the Italian and European Space Agencies, as well as the work carried out for the Defense Administration and the important commercial activity, contributing to Thales Alenia Space Italia global recognition as a key player in the world of space in a constantly evolving journey. Established in 1983, Rome and LAquila plants are now among Thales Alenia Spaces largest industrial facilities in Europe.
Thales Alenia Space Italias Rome site headquarters are in the outlying eastern area of the city, in a high-tech industrial setting known as the capitals Technological Hub. This location represents the companys strategic heart in Italy, and it also houses the Satellite Integration Center and the Antenna and Equipment Development Center. By 2025 it will also house the Space Smart Factory, an all-digital smart factory among the largest in Europe. The most prestigious Remote Sensing, Earth Observation, Telecommunications and Satellite Navigation Programs have originated in Rome's clean rooms, making the site a global benchmark in satellite manufacturing, development, and integration of cutting-edge space technologies, while contributing to the growth of the countrys space economy.
Thales Alenia Space
Similarly, LAquila's plant, a state-of-the-art technopole serves as a hub for the production of all equipment, focusing on technology development, product industrialization and space-qualified production of hybrids, printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), electronic components, composite antenna parts and structural satellite parts of different classes and application fields such as remote sensing, telecommunications, exploration, navigation, radar and defense. The plants in Rome and LAquila grew rapidly in the past three years to reach today 1,200 and 400 employees respectively.
I am truly proud to celebrate this prestigious anniversary today. Stories of space success from Rome and LAquila plants have boosted our companys reputation over the years, formerly as Selenia, then as Alenia Spazio. Today, Thales Alenia Space is an undisputed key player of the international space scenario promoting significant technological advances in the space industry. The best wishes for the 40th anniversary of our company come at a time of strong growth of the space activities in Italy and Thales Alenia Space, in synergy with the academic world, major universities, small and medium-sized enterprises as well as startups, is at the forefront of the growth of Italian and European Space,said Massimo Comparini, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia. Thales Alenia Spaces accomplishments and expertise are now integrated in a New Space approach, at the service of innovation and sustainable development, tackling the most complex technological challenges and positioning the company at the forefront of future space technologies, while maintaining the relationship with the local territories, added Comparini. We will keep working, day by day, in our laboratories, in our clean rooms, in our 21st century factories to build the probes, modules, and satellites of the future, but above all to build a future of knowledge and prosperity for our youth and our national community.
Thales Alenia Space
After celebrating in the recent months, the 40 years of the Thales Alenia Space Toulouse site in France, and the 60th anniversary of the Charleroi site in Belgium, I am particularly pleased today to celebrate Rome and LAquila, two sites with paramount importance in Thales Alenia Space's industrial and technological setting in Europe. The diversity and complementarity of our sites pinpoint all the dynamism, expertise and passion of our teams who have contributed and continue to contribute firsthand to the success of our company, said Herv Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.
A cutting-edge site in the fields of Telecommunications and Observation and Science
Thales Alenia Space
Over the past 40 years, Thales Alenia Spaces industrial sites in Rome and LAquila have established themselves as centers of excellence in the satellite telecommunications field. The industrial history of these sites boasts deep roots in telecommunications (Intelsat, Hot Bird, Arabsat, Italsat, Globalstar, O3b, Iridium NEXT, Athena-Fidus, SICRAL), science and exploration (Hipparcos, Beppo Sax, Cassini-Huygens, Rosetta, Integral, Mars Express, Venus Express and ExoMars), and remote sensing (ERS 1 and 2, Envisat, Met-op, COSMO-SkyMed, Sentinel). Today we are involved in the second Generation of the Italian CSG constellation and working on the new satellites of the European Copernicus Program, with the CHIME - CIMR - Rose-L satellites. The company will also supply a first group of 6 small satellites based on SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) technology and 1 satellite based on optical technology for ESAs innovative IRIDE constellation. The development of 4 high-resolution Earth Observation radar satellites carries on under the Korea 425 Project of the South Korean Agency for Defense Development (ADD). In the field of telecommunications, the Sicral 3 satellite is being developed. In addition, LAquila plant is fully involved in the manufacture of components for the 81 Iridium NEXT telecom satellites.
At the origin of satellite navigation: fro
