Thales Alenia

Pandemic, changing industry affecting satellite manufacturer supply chains
The pandemic and resulting supply chain issues have forced satellite manufacturers to adopt new approaches, some of which they plan to maintain in a post-pandemic world.

Thales Alenia selected to build Telesat’s broadband constellation
Canadian satellite operator Telesat announced Feb. 9 it has selected Thales Alenia Space to manufacture 298 satellites for a broadband network in low-Earth orbit.

First BlackSky operational satellite ready for launch
Spaceflight Industries said March 6 that the first operational satellite for its BlackSky Earth imaging constellation is now complete and awaiting launch later this year.

RSCC pays Russian-European manufacturing team to build next two satellites
Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC) made its first payments to the satellite manufacturing team building its next two satellites on Dec. 28, the state-owned satellite operator announced.

Thales Alenia Inks Deal To Build 2 More Sentinel Satellites for ESA
The contract, valued at 402 million euros ($441 million), will help guarantee the promised data continuity of the multibillion-euro Copernicus effort.

O3b Orders Eight More Satellites from Thales Alenia Space
The satellites, to be launched in groups of four aboard Europeanized Russian Soyuz rockets in late 2017 and early 2018, will bring the O3b constellation to 20 spacecraft.

Bangladesh Taps Thales Alenia To Build 1st Telecom Satellite
The $248 million contract includes construction of the 3,500-kilogram satellite, its launch — set for late 2017 — and the associated ground segment.

Component Issue Delays Iridium Next Launches by Four Months
The latest slip for Iridium's second-generation constellation was caused by a component that had posed issues for prime contractor Thales Alenia Space previously.

After Friending Facebook, Eutelsat Orders Satellite for sub-Saharan Africa
Eutelsat's order — which comes on the heals of an agreement with Facebook to lease satellite capacity over sub-Saharan Africa — is the first high-throughput satellite sale for Thales Alenia Space and is based on the company’s Spacebus Neo product line

Flooding Hit Thales Alenia Space Plant, but Satellites Unscathed
The large facility in Cannes, France, was being cleared of the water and mud that penetrated the facility’s stockroom and other areas.

Thales Alenia Gets Going on Second-generation Cosmo-SkyMed Radar Satellites
Satellite builder Thales Alenia Space on Sept. 2 said it had signed a contract with the Italian government to build one of the two planned next-generation radar reconnaissance satellites and to purchase the needed equipment for the second.

Turkey’s Gokturk-1 Reconnaissance Satellite Finally Cleared for Export
Turkey’s high-resolution Gokturk-1 optical reconnaissance satellite, which was completed months ago but held up because of a dispute over the readiness of an elaborate satellite test and assembly center in Turkey, has been cleared for shipment May 7.

Thales Alenia Space Details Elaborate Tech Transfer Deal with Brazil
Thales Alenia Space, as part of what may be the most elaborate satellite technology-transfer contract ever signed, will be joining forces with Brazilian companies to develop local expertise in satellite thermal control, onboard propulsion, solar arrays and ground support, the company’s chief representative in Brazil said.

Thales Alenia Space Chief Touts Program Progress, Cost-cutting Efforts
Thales Alenia Space says its Russian and Turkish satellite production programs are back on track and that tensions between Russia and the West haven't impeded ExoMars work.

Turkey’s Gokturk-1 Imaging Satellite in Limbo at Thales Alenia Space
Turkey’s Gokturk-1 high-resolution optical reconnaissance satellite remains stuck, largely completed, in a production facility in France because of last-minute issues between the Turkish government and the satellite’s French and Italian contractors.

Italian Commitment to Next-gen Radar Satellites in Time to Avert Gap
Italian funding for a second-generation Cosmo-SkyMed program came in time to assure the satellites’ launches in 2017 and 2018.

Thales Alenia Space Nabs $94 Million Contract for U.S.-French Ocean Topography Satellite
CNES signed the first of a planned three contracts for the U.S.-French Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, a mission in which the two governments plan to invest some $1.1 billion for a launch in 2020.

ILS Proton Lofts Yamal-401, Setting Stage for Astra 2G Launch
An International Launch Services Proton rocket on Dec. 15 successfully placed the Yamal-401 satellite into geostationary orbit following four ignition-and-coast phases of its Breeze-M upper stage.

CNES Taps Thales Alenia, Airbus for Earth Science Satellites
Thales Alenia Space will build the SWOT ocean-altimetry satellite as part of a U.S.-French collaboration and Airbus Defence and Space will build the Merlin methane-detecting satellite as part of a joint Franco-German program under contracts expected to be signed in the coming weeks.

Thales Alenia Makes a Red Carpet Play for Developing Nations Seeking High-Res Satellites
Thales Alenia Space, hoping to expand its share of the growing global market among developing nations for high-resolution Earth observation satellites, has agreed to invest 8 million euros in a new observation satellite production facility.