17 October 2017 – Since legal incorporation in 2013 followed by the acquisition of the SEA space business in 2014, Thales Alenia Space in the UK is continuously growing in the Thales Alenia Space value chain as the progress in electric propulsion module development,  the quadrupling of the work-force and the further growth ambitions including developing satellite prime capabilities and the Assembly Integration and  Test (AIT) of major satellite programmes at the UK National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF).

Last week, the European Space Agency Board of Directors were welcomed to RAL Space, home to the UK’s new  National Satellite Test Facility both by Thales Alenia Space and RAL Space representatives

Ben Olivier, CEO of Thales Alenia Space UK slated “With staff in Bristol, Belfast and Harwell, Thales Alenia Space has an energised and well balanced work-force with staff numbers distributed evenly from the most recent graduates and apprentices to some of our industry’s most established experts,  this demonstrates the relevance of the Space Sector to the STEM agenda”

Thales Alenia Space in the UK  will continue to expand its activities in sophisticated technologies and scientific and Earth observation instruments and payload technologies,  bringing the benefits of the UK’s considerable technology base to new space markets.

Ben added that he expected the bi-lateral programme with France for the Microcarb mission to be one of the first programmes to benefit from the NSTF,  with the prospect of future ESA missions such as SMILE, FLEX,  PLATO in addition to commercial contracts.