Thales Alenia Space, the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has sealed a partnership with NanoXplore, a rising star in the French electronics scene, to develop a key electronic component for the space industry.
NanoXplore developed the NG-ULTRA component family with support from Thales Alenia Space and in conjunction with the R&D programs set up by the French and European space agencies, CNES and ESA, along with the European Commission’s H2020 and Horizon Europe programs.
The NG-ULTRA family will therefore benefit the entire European space industry. Thales Alenia Space has already opted for components designed by NanoXplore for its new Space Inspire product line, flexible and reconfigurable in orbit, developed with support from CNES and ESA.
NG-ULTRA components will be used not only on the Space Inspire telecom satellite product line but also for a number of major European programs, starting with the iconic Galileo Second Generation and Copernicus families.
Thales Alenia Space working hand in hand with innovative small businesses
As early as 2017, Thales Alenia Space kicked off an innovative industrial partnership with the American company BlackSky, resulting in a number of business wins by the joint company LeoStella for optical observation satellites featuring high revisit rates. Blazing a path toward New Space, Thales Alenia Space has multiplied its initiatives and is now, for example, a major player in the new French constellation Kineis, dedicated to the Internet of Things.
Thales Alenia Space already has links with over 700 small businesses and startups, resulting in joint projects with more than 150 of them. For example, Thales Alenia Space has already started the development of smallsats and nanosats in partnership with companies such as Hemeria, NanoAvionics, and Anywaves.
With NanoXplore, Thales Alenia Space affirms its commitment to strengthening French and European leadership in space and bolstering Europe’s industrial independence.
European non-dependence in space is vital
Given the current geopolitical context, establishing independent national and European supply chains is key to guaranteeing Europe’s sovereignty and industrial independence.
Industrial sovereignty depends on the ability to independently design and deploy strategic systems, and on the capacity of France and Europe to maintain their key technical skills and expertise.
To sustain industrial autonomy, France and Europe must deploy national and European supply chains, while also launching major operational space programs to retain key industrial skills.
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