Belgian Research 2017_Mise en page 1 06/02/2017 09:34 Page102
Thales Alenia Space Belgium For over 50 years, Thales Alenia Space Belgium has been number 1 in Belgium for electronic space applications for satellites and launchers.
Our satellites open up new horizons
Leader in power distribution aboard satellites, Thales Alenia Space Belgium supplies essential equipment for satellite platforms.
A key player in European aerospace in the areas of telecommunications, navigation, earth observation, exploration and the construction of orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a Joint-Venture between the Thales group (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space makes up the Space Alliance and offers a full range of solutions and services. Thanks to its expertise in dual missions, constellations, flexible payloads, altimetry, meteorology and optical and high-resolution observation, Thales Alenia Space is the natural choice of industrial partner for assisting countries in the development of their space programmes. Thales Alenia Space had a turnover of over €2 billion in 2015 and employs 7,500 people in 8 countries.
As world leader in power conditioning and distribution aboard satellites, the range of products covers the needs of micro-satellites as well as large geostationary satellites used in telecommunications, observation, navigation, exploration and meteorology. Thales Alenia Space Belgium is also at the forefront of electronic flight products: power supply for plasma thrusters, power supply for travelling wave tubes, DC/DC converters and other specialised electrical products like the PCU. The PCU (Power Conditioning Unit) is the electrical core of the satellite that manages the electrical energy between the solar panels, the batteries and the different equipment of the satellite.
Power electronics for the space industry, our core area
Aboard all European launchers
In Belgium, Thales Alenia Space is represented by its subsidiary Thales Alenia Space Belgium in Charleroi and Leuven. With a turnover of €71.5 million in 2014, Thales Alenia Space Belgium has expertise in several high-tech areas. Thales Alenia Space Belgium is Belgium’s number 1 for electronic space applications for satellites and launchers, a world leader in power conditioning and distribution for satellite and the biggest supplier of electronics for European launchers. Our staff of 700 offer high-quality products and services day after day to our customers throughout the world.
Thales Alenia Space Belgium is the largest supplier of electronics aboard Ariane 5. It designs and manufactures over 50% of its electronics for each Ariane. These items support the following functions: on-board power distribution, aborting of the launcher in the event of an incorrect trajectory, control of the nozzles to keep the launcher on trajectory, calculation of the launcher’s position in space and separation of the stages of the Ariane and the fairing that protects the satellites in flight. The company Thales Alenia Space Belgium also participate in development of the safeguard system for Ariane 6. The Russian launcher Soyouz also counts on Thales Alenia Space Belgium for its safeguard system, the only system to be provided by Europe. The Soyouz launched from French Guiana are actually equipped with our safeguard system, allowing the motors to be shut down if it deviates from its trajectory. The company is also contributing to the production of the small European launcher Vega.
© Thales Alenia Space Belgium
Future Plans
Ariane family, 1 to 5
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One of the major objectives of Thales Alenia Space is to enjoy the benefits of the competitiveness programme now in place for 3 years to respond to market changes and breakthroughs coming from overseas. For this, Alenia Thales Space is launching new products on the commercial market. In the field of telecommunications, Spacebus NEO, a new range of geostationary satellite platforms from Thales Alenia Space, fully meets the demands of launcher