Thales Alenia Space at full speed ahead of IAC 2022

Very busy activities for our company over the last two weeks.

To name a few, earlier in September, the EUTELSAT KONNECT VHTS, the most powerful telecommunications satellite ever built in Europe, was successfully orbited by Arianespace. This satellite will be remembered for ages as it will directly contribute to bridging the digital divide all over Europe, providing Very High Speed internet across the continent but also in the Middle East and in North Africa, especially in isolated areas dubbed white zones.

The same week, two amazing satellites, SWOT and the first Meteosat Third Generation Imaging satellite, were presented together with our customers during a two-day press tour marathon held in Cannes. Both of them will be launched by the end of the year and will definitely revolutionize their domains, respectively related to oceanography, hydrology and meteorology.

On September 12 at the opening of the WSBW we shared a very good news with KT Sat Indonesian operator ordering Thales Alenia Space the telecom satellite KORESAT 6A based on our Spacebus 4000B2 platform. To date, our company has won 5 telecommunications satellite contracts in a row since the beginning of the year, including 4 Space INSPIRE, the new Software Defined Satellites.

And now we are waiting with a lot of emotion for the launch of ARTEMIS I mission, for which we have also provided our contribution for the Orion spacecraft and the Lunar gateway.?

Proud to be at #IAC2022 . The Moon: shining more than ever!

Gold Sponsor of the IAC 2022 event held in Paris this year, we have decided to emphasize in particular our technological legacy to pioneer the future of space exploration and orbital infrastructures. We are also featuring our contribution to space missions in the navigation and observation domains for a sustainable use of resources.

Why is the Moon trendy again, since the last crewed mission dates to nearly 50 years ago, with Apollo 17 in 1972? Among other reasons, there have been a number of striking scientific discoveries that make us look at the Moon from a new angle. First, as we long suspected, there’s water on the Moon, confirmed in 2008. There’s also oxygen and hydrogen, two elements that could be mined from lunar ice, for example, to produce rocket fuel. The moon harbors other resources as well, such as helium 3, an energy-producing isotope that could be used to power tomorrow’s spacecraft on crewed missions to Mars or into deeper space.

Astronauts on the Moon would also be able to keep a close eye on the Earth’s surface, biosphere and atmosphere. A Moon’s-eye view would be a critical advantage in environmental monitoring, while helping us predict the risks and impact of global warming. In other words, the Moon could eventually become a natural Earth observation satellite!

Lunar Gateway in the spotlight

The Gateway lunar space station is one of the pillars in NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. It will help us establish a permanent presence on the Moon and function as a waystation for future interplanetary missions. It will also support long-term exploration of the Moon, via regular shuttle flights. Another advantage of the Artemis program is that it will allow us to develop and test the systems and procedures needed to carry out crewed missions to Mars.

Gateway is a joint international program between the American and European space agencies, NASA and ESA. Assembled automatically piece by piece, the 40-metric-ton Gateway will circle the Moon in an elliptical orbit. It will be fitted with a robotic arm and docking ports and comprises modules for long-duration crewed missions, plus all required energy, propulsion, logistics and communications facilities. It’s not designed for permanent occupancy, but can host up to four astronauts at a time, for periods of one to three months.

To better understand how Thales Alenia Space became a major contributor to the Gateway, let’s go back a few years. Our company has a unique technological legacy in space exploration, robotics and automated transport system. We built a major part of the habitable volume on the International Space Station, including the Cupola observation post and the structure for the Columbus lab. In addition, we realized all pressurized modules for the ATV resupply vessels used in the past, and the current Cygnus. These spacecraft ferry food and water, fuel, spare parts, all types of equipment and scientific experiments to the different crews.

Thales Alenia Space, along with Avio, built the IXV reentry demonstrator for ESA. Late 2020, Thales Alenia Space and Avio were chosen to build Space Rider, Europe’s new-generation reusable, autonomous transport system for low Earth orbit missions. Today we’re involved in On Orbit Servicing projects. These are spacecraft designed to perform a wide range of maintenance operations in orbit, including deorbiting satellites at end of life, robotic servicing, extending satellite lifespans, in-flight refueling, inspection, etc.

We were chosen by ESA as prime contractor for two pressurized modules in the Lunar Gateway, ESPRIT and I-HAB, and we also build the HALO pressurized module for Northrop Grumman. At the same time, Thales Alenia Space was tabbed by Axiom Space to supply two pressurized modules for their commercial space station.

We also supplied the shell for the Bishop airlock from NanoRacks, the first commercial module of this type, which was mated to the ISS in December 2020. Leveraging on this unique experience, Thales Alenia Space has become the world leader in orbital infrastructures and a pivotal player in new lunar exploration initiatives.

We obviously need a spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts from the Moon to Mars. And that’s where NASA’s Orion comes into its own. Orion was designed from the ground up to push back the traditional boundaries of crewed space flight. Thales Alenia Space is working with ESA, alongside Airbus Defence and Space, to develop critical systems for all flight models of the European Service Module, including the structure, micrometeorite protection, thermal control, consumable storage and energy distribution.

Towards a new lunar ecosystem

More than Gateway, it’s a real lunar ecosystem that’s taking shape – and Thales Alenia Space ?has become one of the main contributors. For example, the American company CommStar Space Communications is counting on us to deploy an Earth-Moon communications relay satellite. In addition, we’re supplying Earth-Moon communications technologies for NASA’s VIPER rover, which will be searching for surface water.

We were also chosen to study the advanced solutions needed to support a permanent human presence on the Moon. One is the visionary project for a large European lander, EL3, primarily designed to provide cargo and logistics services for NASA lunar exploration missions. It would also allow Europe to carry out an independent mission to explore the Moon’s south pole, using a robotic lab derived from SFR, the Sample Fetch Rover.

Our company also won a contract from the Italian space agency to study the feasibility of 16 design concepts aimed at supporting a permanent human presence on the Moon. One of the main concepts is the “Shelter”, a pressurized surface habitation module that could house astronauts in an emergency, or as a base for exploration of the Moon’s surface, as well as incorporating a communications system to facilitate contacts between the lunar base, Gateway and the Earth. Our company was also chosen as part of an international consortium, led by our partner Telespazio, to conduct an advanced feasibility study for ESA. The aim is to create the infrastructure that would provide lunar communications and navigation services.

Benevolent eyes in the sky

We have all lived a very particular summer, that was the hottest ever in Europe. The impact of global warming, today more than ever, is a sad reality. Above our heads, we have the incredible chance to have “benevolent eyes in the sky”. I am of course referring to Earth Observation satellites that are designed to provide decision makers with accurate data in terms of environment monitoring, oceanography, meteorology and many more.

The Sentinel satellites keep a daily watch over our planet, delivering precious data to the scientific community and to first responders in the event of natural disasters, while also helping to gage the effectiveness of national initiatives designed to curb global warming.

Space Sentinels

Thales Alenia Space has worked hand in hand with ESA and the entire European space industry since the start of the European Commission’s Copernicus program, in which it is playing a key role on 11 out of 12 missions.?Thales Alenia Space is aboard five of the six new-generation Copernicus missions, leading three as prime contractor (CIMR, ROSE-L and CHIME), and supplying the payloads for two more (CO2M and CRISTAL). These new satellites are geared toward measuring human-induced atmospheric CO2 emissions, monitoring thickness of sea ice and snow covering it, supporting new optimized services for sustainable farming and biodiversity, observing sea-surface temperature and salinity as well as sea ice concentration, and strengthening land monitoring and emergency management services.

Meteorology 3.0.

Meteorologists have called on the rich data harvest from Meteosat satellites for over 45 years to make their weather forecasts. Thales Alenia Space has built all geostationary European meteorological satellites as prime. With the upcoming MTG, the Meteosat Third Generation, images will be updated every ten minutes and these satellites will also carry atmospheric sounders, making weather forecasts even more reliable. MTG includes 6 satellites: 4 imaging and 2 atmospheric sounding ones. The two atmospheric sounding satellites will be making a real technological leap to yield 3D maps of the atmosphere—a world first. The sounders will enable detection of severe weather events half a day ahead. And by combining the whole system, forecasters will be able to do their job better and forecast eight days ahead. That will be a big step forward in giving populations early warning of major events. MTG is going to help save lives while paving the way for new kinds of services for Europe’s and Africa’s citizens. Once the entire MTG fleet is in orbit, EUMETSAT will have the best weather services in the world. First MTG imaging satellite was introduced to our customers, ESA and EUMETSAT, during a press tour a couple of weeks ago. The satellite will leave Cannes’ clean rooms in a few days. The departure by boat to French Guyana will take place by the end of the month. Launch is scheduled end of this year aboard an Ariane 5 launcher.

Understanding oceans

Our employees are particularly proud of providing the space-based altimetry, an advanced altitude measurement technology that is used to study sea surfaces, the thickness of sea ice and lake and river levels. It can also be used to determine land, ice cap and seabed topography. We have supplied the radar altimeters for a number of international missions. As an example, French-American SWOT will revolutionize modern oceanography. A joint mission between CNES and NASA, with contributions from Canadian and UK space agencies, SWOT paves the way for revolutionary discoveries in oceanography and continental hydrology. Thales Alenia Space is a lead industrial partner onboard this one-of-a-kind program. This satellite will leave the facility in October to get ready for a launch by the end of the year, from Vandenberg Space Force base, in California. Looking forward to the launch!

Space for Life is our aspiration

At Thales Alenia Space we are committed to space as a new horizon to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. Space for Life embodies our values and profound belief in what we do every day in our cleanrooms.

Illustrations: ? Thales Alenia Space - ?ESA - ?NASA - ? Thales Alenia Space/Imag[IN]