A tankful of hydrogen for the winter olympics 2010 with BC ... · The Cougar Battlefield Surveillance Helicopter (HORIZON) is an authentic observation and communication platform which

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Hot NewsLatest news from Advanced Technologies

TechnicalInnovative technologies for the launchers of the future

Expert CommentLaurent Jezequel Testing time for satellites

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M A G A Z I N E O F T H E D I V I S I O N O F A D V A N C E D T E C H N O L O G I E S

A tankful of hydrogen for the Winter Olympics 2010 with BC Transit

A tankful of hydrogen for the Winter Olympics 2010 with BC Transit

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www.dta.airliquide.com

Hot News

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The nuclear aircraft carrier Charles-de- Gaulle has been out of commission for a year and a half for a major overhaul of all its fittings with some thousand people working on the site.Air Liquide is participating in this major maintenance operation (Periodic Unavailability for Maintenance and Repair) which occurs every seven years. “We have fitted an oxygen and nitrogen generating unit on the Charles-de-Gaulle that is unique in the world”, explains Denis Favier, the project Manager. “It is molecular sieve and membrane type gas separation equipment which supplies the 99.5% pure oxygen and nitrogen used by

Major overhaul for the Charles-de-Gaulle

pilots in flight, at the ship’s hospital and in the dependent systems of planes on the ship. It makes sense for us to have been asked to overhaul such a highly specialised system”.The first stripping operations took place in November 2007 and continued in April 2008 with the parts then being sent to the Sassenage workshops for overhaul. The gas-generating unit is scheduled to be remounted in two phases, in June and September. Advanced Technologies is also playing a part in the tests being conducted by DCN Services Toulon next October, as a provider of technical support and advice.

KSTAR: beyond expectationGood news! The 9 kW 4.5 K helium refrigerator with a distribution system launched by the Advanced Technologies Division on behalf of the South Korean civil nuclear fusion pilot reactor KSTAR (Korean Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research) is exceeding expectations in terms of performance (see Cryoscope no. 38, p.3). “This will mean that the machine can be used more flexibly,” stresses Jérôme Beauvisage, the project Manager. “Our mastery of cooling and distribution technologies in

the fusion field so clearly demonstrated under this project will be of benefit to other nuclear fusion reactors, like the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), currently under construction at Cadarache, in the Bouches-du-Rhône.”

Interphex: the complete Air Liquide offer to the pharmaceutical industry

The international Show for pharmaceutical and cosmetic packaging, Interphex 2008, was held in Philadelphia USA between 26 and 28 March last. Advanced Technologies was one of the thousand or so exhibitors in attendance, with two standard products tailored specifically to the needs of pharmaceutical manufacturers on show at an Air Liquide stand. The first, VOXAL, is used to treat chemical effluent and the second, the ALASKA cooling unit, provides accurate temperature control for processes.Advanced Technologies was not alone at Interphex since a number of other teams, from across the world, were also there representing Air Liquide. They worked together to exhibit the full range of Air Liquide offers to the pharmaceutical industry, and they will also be working together to follow up the hundred or so contacts made during the two days the Show lasted – a good example of joint dynamics in a large international Group. To find out more: www.interphex.com

An example of technical documentation translated into Chinese.

Chinese versionsAs you will know, Advanced Technologies now has a strong

presence in China (see the report in Cryoscope no. 38), and to facilitate business dealings between our Shanghai t e a m a n d o u r Chinese customers, t h e t e c h n i c a l documentation has been translated into Confuc ius’s ver y own tongue. But watch this space, as we get established

in other places other languages are bound to follow.

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The American electricity grid in the age of superconductivityIt’s a First! A commercial electricity transmission grid has just been connected by the longest and most powerful superconductor link in the world. The project, undertaken in the United States in the State of New York, by LIPA (Long Island Power Authority) and American Superconductor, involves the specialist cable manufacturer Nexans, and Air Liquide’s Advanced Technologies Division.Superconductor materials are capable of transmitting three to five times more energy than conventional cables, without dissipating energy, on account of their zero electric resistance. But if this exceptional property is to be useful, they have to be kept at a very cold temperature and to this end, Advanced Technologies is supplying a sub-cooled liquid nitrogen refrigeration system. The superconductor cable, which is 600 metres long and capable of conveying 600 MVA of power at a voltage of 138 kV – i.e. a current strength of up to 2,500 amperes, is inaugurated on 25th June 2008. “Air Liquide is committed for the next stage of the project to deploying a 10 km cable with second generation superconductor materials,” says Gérard Marot, the project manager. “And with this in mind, we are now developing an original Turbo Brayton type refrigerator technology.”

Ten years of maintenance for the TigerA maintenance contract has recently been signed with Eurocopter to overhaul the OBIGGS* nitrogen generators on-board the anti-tank version of the Tiger helicopter gunship. These inerting systems are useful in lowering the oxygen content in helicopter fuel tanks, which could explode if shot at.The agreement between Eurocopter and Advanced Technologies is a particularly long-lasting one, being scheduled to endure for at least ten years, and is renewable.

It covers the supply of spare parts, breakdown detection and repair, throughout the operating life cycle of the equipment, i.e. 30 to 40 years.Repairs are to be handled at Sassenage, since the nitrogen generators are easy to strip down and transport. The Advanced Technologies maintenance centre has been organised accordingly, incorporating DGA (General Delegation for Ordnance) qualification requirements and constraints related to short attendance times.

*On Board Inert Gas Generating System.

OBOGS: now christened on helicoptersThe Cougar Battlefield Surveillance Helicopter (HORIZON) is an authentic observation and communication platform which played a major role in the Gulf War and in the conflict in Kosovo, having been given the job – inter alia – of identifying fighter aircraft movements. But to fulfil its mission, this helicopter has to fly above 4,000 metres, and at this altitude, pilots need an oxygen supply to breathe. The

Army wants to rid itself of oxygen cylinders (for reasons of logistics and self-sufficiency) and is now thinking of using an OBOGS(1), the oxygen generator designed by Advanced Technologies for the Rafale fighter aircraft.“We’ve done it,” says Emmanuel Fantuzzi, the project leader, “the OBOGS has completed its first flight on a helicopter. The trial meant we could prove the

effectiveness of our concentrator, which recovers compressed air from helicopter turbines. With Eurocopter, we have pushed it to the limit, at a number of different altitudes, by varying the aircraft engine speed and we now hope to continue the experiment by adding regulators to the system so that six people can breathe with the OBOGS.” This experiment opens up new perspectives, particularly in the civil and medical fields, such as using the oxygen concentrator on helicopter rescue missions.

(1) On Board Oxygen Generating System.

The nitrogen generators, which are easy to strip down, are overhauled at Sassenage.

With the Vancouver Winter Olympics almost upon

us, British Columbia will be given the first hydrogen

bus fleet to operate under normal conditions.

Newsreport

I n 2003, the ICO selected Vancouver to play host to the winter Olympics

of 2010(1). Like other organising committees with environmental criteria built into their procurement procedures, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia are capitalizing on this event to fund a number of projects to identify and adapt innovative technologies that can help cut greenhouse gas emissions. Of the contracts signed in 2007, one involves Air Liquide Canada(2) and the Advanced Technologies Division based at Sassenage (France). The aim of this agreement is to build a fleet of twenty fuel cell buses at BC Transit(3), the first such fleet to run on a day-to-day basis. The vehicles will be delivered by the end of 2009 to the towns of Whistler and Victoria, but in terms of the hydrogen supply – transporting it and distributing it on the spot – Air Liquide is already gearing up for action.

Green hydrogenFrom Montreal where he is involved in all hydrogen energy programmes on North American soil, Pierre Gauthier stresses: “It is the determination of the federal and provincial authorities, but also that of Ron Harmer, deputy chairman of BC Transit, that has ensured the success of this project.” It is a project that involves some major logistical constraints since the “green” hydrogen – i.e. it is obtained without greenhouse gas emissions – will be

BC Transit: a tankful of Vancouver Olympic Games 2010

produced at two sites 5,000 km apart. The first of these is at Bécancour (Quebec) where the hydrogen will be manufactured by electrolysis, with electricity supplied by Hydro Quebec, 99.5% of it from hydroelectric dams. This hydrogen will be transported in liquid form to Whistler, a site close to the Pacific Ocean where the skiing competitions will be held. The second is on Vancouver Island, in Victoria, where the town will be supplied with gas through an electrolyser installed on the spot and by purified hydrogen from North Vancouver’s HTEC process(4).Two distinct 350-bar stations will be set up in the two towns which will

share the fuel cell bus fleet between them. In Whistler, the liquid hydrogen will be pumped and sent in a vaporizer so that it can be converted into gas before the tanks are filled, while in Victoria it will be stored in gaseous form. The real technical difficulty of the project lies in the filling capacity. As Pierre Gauthier explains: “Given the number of buses involved, and BC Transit’s operational requirements, it will be essential to optimize refuelling times. Between 6.00 am and 9.00 am, 18 vehicles will have their tanks filled using 55 kg of hydrogen per unit, in under 10 minutes. This involves some heavy equipment, the largest

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Eighteen hydrogen buses will operate during the Vancouver Olympic Games.

In the foreground of the narrow collaboration between Advanced

Technologies and Air Liquide Canada on this project of hydrogen bus: Pierre Gauthier.

Air Liquide is already eager to get on with the job of

transporting and distributing the hydrogen safely.

Newsreport

ever designed and installed up till now.” To do this, Air Liquide Canada has been reliant on the expertise developed at Sassenage. From choice of materials to station design, including risk assessments, systems analyses, automata parametrisation, training etc., Air Liquide Advanced Technologies is making a twofold contribution to this project: Thomas Charbonneau has settled in Canada for a few years, and Julie Flynn, who hails from Quebec, on assignment at Advanced Technologies for H2 NRJ is BC Transit’s project Manager. And we mustn’t forget the DRCT(5) team which is taking part in the pump output gas quality control programme.

A lot at stakeEven before these two stations, Air Liquide Canada will deliver a first mobile station in July 2008. It will provide support for the first bus, also delivered in July, so that a series of tests can be conducted. The Victoria station will be commissioned in October 2008. Tests will then be conducted on all buses as they are delivered at regular intervals throughout 2009. The Whistler station, which is more complex in design because of the presence of a liquid hydrogen tank, will be operational in autumn 2009, a few months before the Games start. “There is a lot riding on the success of the BC Transit project for all partners in the hydrogen energy

hydrogen power

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field,” stresses Pierre Gauthier. “This is a business that arouses curiosity and stimulates investment but only for demonstration projects. I would say that we are now in a pre-marketing phase. The technology is still expensive and will only become accessible if the market grows. Once the Vancouver Olympic Games are over, if it is shown that a fleet of some twenty vehicles can be operated on a daily basis without technical mishap, it will be a win-win situation for everyone.”Contact:[email protected]

(1) The Vancouver Olympic Games will

be held from 12 to 28 February 2010.

Whistler will host the Paralympic Games

from 12 to 21 March 2010.

(2) Air Liquide Canada Inc is a subsidiary

of Air Liquide Group, founded in 1911,

and employs 2200 people.

(3) BC Transit: British Columbia Transit

Authority.

(4) HTEC (Hydrogen Technology and

Energy Corporation) is a company

dedicated to the production of ultra-pure

hydrogen, according to a patented process.

(5) At DRTC (Delaware Research

Technology Center), Air Liquide’s

advanced technologies centre located

at Newark (Delaware): Stéphane Lessi,

Shawn Bratt, Tracey Jacksier and Robert

Bennesh. With support from Kimberley

Curran (AL Canada).

The Victoria hydrogen station will be commissioned next October.

A much sought after fuel

• In the spring of 2007, General Motors signed a contract for five new 700-bar stations. They are the first to be set up on the eastern side of the United States and the New York City station has been up and running since 4 April 2008. To date, GM has some hundred fuel cell vehicles on American soil.

• After Ottawa, Prince Edward Island, Oshawa and Kapuskasing in Canada, and with the three forthcoming BC Transit stations, including the GM projects, not forgetting the DRTC facility in Newark… by the end of 2008, there will be a total of thirteen Air Liquide stations in operation on North-American soil.

• Between June and September 2008, Nissan is organising a European demonstration tour for a fuel cell vehicle. With the 350-bar station based at Sassenage already coming in for praise, Air Liquide Advanced Technologies has had a second mobile unit built to provide back-up for the Japanese manufacturer.

• Shell Global Solution has ordered a testing resource from Advanced Technologies to study hydrogen leaks at 700 bars.

• The University of Glamorgan at Cardiff (Pontypridd) will soon be equipped with a unit for hydrogen generation by electrolysis, compression and storage.

• During the summer 2008, a 350-bar station will be delivered to the University of Rome to fuel a Hydrogenics demonstration vehicle.

• On the site of Sassenage, the tank Absal designed to store liquid helium is in the course of modification to transport liquid hydrogen. Renamed Abshyl, it will be rented to customers for occasional demands.

Innovative technologies for the launchers of the futurefuture versatile ESC due to be up and running by 2015, but also to prepare for launcher upgrading in the longer-term.

An expert pairingCryospace has already implemented many insulation technologies as part of the design and manufacture of Ariane 5’s cryogenic tanks. The fact that the Les Mureaux team is participating in the HX project is therefore due to its expertise in this field and its experience in operational systems development. François Peyraud, Manager of Cryospace Engineering, explains: “The aim is to build technology packages that allow us to meet high performance needs in coasting flight, while freeing ourselves from using helium of which Ariane 5 is a major consumer, and which leads to prohibitive implementation costs.” Cryospace’s big idea is to use gaseous nitrogen to condition the cavities that come into contact with the hydrogen tanks, while maintaining optimum thermal performance, and to do so, in all configurations: on the ground, in atmospheric flight or in coasting flight.At Sassenage, Sébastien Bianchi – development programme Manager for future launchers – stresses: “The HX programme means that the

development team can give material form to the different technologies and concepts they have touched on under R & T projects in which they have been involved for many years.” The technology packages being studied by Air Liquide Advanced Technologies are operational technologies. They relate particularly to fluid performance management and the use of vaporised propellants. Indeed, in coasting flight(3), residual liquid hydrogen and oxygen (between 10% and 15%) will tend to disperse towards the tank walls and vaporize. If these gases are re-used to control temperature and to cause small amounts of fluid to settle by microgravity, these not insignificant losses can be restricted.

Running orderInsulation, propellant management, pressurization, fluid level gauge, internal transfer line, etc., there’s no shortage of technology packages. The aim of HX is actually to validate these basic technologies and then associate them with a representatively-scaled macro-demonstrator. This combined implementation means that we can go beyond an individual validation of each technology. Its purpose is, inter alia, to identify any interaction that may occur between them, and to assess the global physical and/or operational consequences. The HX project is therefore twofold. Initially, until the end of 2008, the HXT phase is dedicated to the basic demonstration. At the same time, the HXG phase has started with the preliminary study on the Sol macro-

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It’s a fact: if a payload is to be driven well beyond a geostationary transfer

orbit, some space missions will one day require the cryogenic engine of the launcher upper stage to be stopped, and then re-ignited in midcourse. However, in a state of weightlessness lasting several hours, the cryogenic fluid may well disperse uncontrollably, evaporate and cause the mission to fail. It is therefore in the context of thermal control and fluid management that the Cnes has asked Cryospace(2) and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies to implement HX, a technological demonstration programme. This aims to secure the development of Ariane 5’s

Technical

By the year 2015, the launcher market will be required to increase their effectiveness and offer a new service: versatility(1). And, at the request of the French Government Space Agency (Cnes) and ahead of European decisions to upgrade Ariane 5, Air Liquide

HX Programme

The forthcoming Sol macro-demonstrator seen in cross-section.

At the Sassenage high-tech centre, standing in front of the HXG test rig (from left to right): Frédéric Ribas, test centre Manager; Sébastien Bianchi, development programme Manager for Air Liquide Advanced Technologies’ future launchers: Francois Barbier, Air Liquide Consultant and an authority on HX programme design.

The results obtained will be of the greatest use to the ESA(4) and Astrium, the manufacturer responsible for producing the launcher and the upper stage.It’s a promise: we will talk to you again soon about how know-how and resources are shared between Cryospace and Air Liquide Advanced Technologies.

(1) Versatility: an upper stage is called

“versatile” if it can be switched off and then

reignited.

(2) Cryospace: Economic Interest Grouping

comprising Air Liquide and EADS Launch

Vehicles.

(3) Coasting flight: non-propelled flight.

(4) ESA: European Space Agency.

Contact: [email protected]

demonstrator. In a European context, there might conceivably be a third phase for a midcourse demonstration during a suborbital flight.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For the time being, the news is all about the basic tests conducted on the technology packages. The Cryospace laboratories at Les Mureaux are used to conduct mechanical inspections and basic tests up to 20 K, but, since they do not have a hydrogen area, most of the activity has to be performed at Sassenage. “For the HX programme, four technicians and an engineer were employed on site” explains Frédéric Ribas, the test centre Manager. Dynamic performance of the “super-insulation” on the ground and in coasting flight conditions, solar radiation simulation, low temperature thermal characterization of foams, performance of transfer line insulating material, liquid nitrogen testing in respect of tank bulkhead performance, catalytic combustion, etc.

Innovative technologies for the launchers of the future

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Technical

Advanced Technologies and Cryospace are working on new technologies for cryogenic upper stage tanks that can be re-ignited in midcourse. Let us explain further.

At Sassenage, an operator standing in front of a thermal insulation test rig.

François Peyraud, Manager of the Cryospace engineering department. In the background: the shell of the EPCA’s RIE (Fitted Insulated Tank). On the trolley: the technology package prototype which has been used to validate the concept mechanically. It is designed to insulate the H2 tank against atmospheric contamination.

Composite tanks

Of the R&T (Research and Technology)

projects developed by Advanced

Technologies, there is one which

was not accepted as part of the HX

project but which will undoubtedly

be of concern to the Cnes by 2025,

and that is composite tanks. All

launchers in fact use metal tanks,

but using a composite material

would save between 25% and 50% in

weight, thereby optimizing “payload”

accordingly.

The tests now underway at Sassenage

favour a clear choice of material,

namely an assembly of carbon fibres

bound together with resin, and the

performance of this low temperature

assembly is currently being tested.

In fact, at cryogenic temperatures,

resins tend to crack, causing a

degradation of leaktightness and

reductions in mechanical strength

etc.

The challenge therefore lies in

choosing the right resin and carbon

fibres and in deciding how the

leaktight barrier is to be formed.

By 2010, the right balance will have

been found with the first potential

application being for small high

pressure liquid hydrogen tanks on

land vehicles.

On Ariane 5, Air Liquide Advanced

Technologies’ pressurized helium

storage unit will probably be the first

piece of equipment to be affected by

this technological development.

The Cryoscope is published by the Air Liquide Advanced Technologies Division • BP 15 • 38360 Sassenage • Tel. : +33 (0)4 76 43 62 11 • Fax : +33 (0)4 76 43 62 71 • E.mail: [email protected] • Director of Publication: Catherine Candela • Coordination: Dominique Lecoq • Delegate Publishers: 2ème Communication - Groupe Publicis • 22, rue Seguin • 69286 Lyon Cedex 02 • Tel. +33 (0)4 72 41 64 84 • Photos: Air Liquide, Thales Alenia Space, Remy Michelin (Eurocopter), Marine Nationale, BC Transit, Cryospace, Photodisc, DR • Printing: Imprimerie Lamazière • 165, avenue Franklin-Roosevelt • 69153 Décines • ISSN 1270-4369 Copyright deposited • June 2008.

What operations are you engaged in?Laurent Jezequel: To put it simply, Thales Alenia Space is the foremost European satellite solution and a major player in the orbital infrastructure field.The department I work in has the job of conducting tests on satellites and their equipment before they are sent into space. When you intend to send several million euros thousands of kilometres from earth, there is no room for mistakes.Which is why at Cannes we recreate the space environment encountered by satellites in space – vacuum and extreme temperatures which can vary between -200°C and +150°C –, as well as the stresses associated with take-off (acoustic and vibration testing). In the same spirit, we ground test different satellite functionalities (communication tests etc.).

In what areas do you collaborate with Advanced Technologies?L. J.: For 15 years, Air Liquide has participated in many different projects. The first was the construction of our main thermal vacuum chamber known as “espace 500”. The main problem in creating space conditions in our simulation chambers was to achieve

Satellites that can withstand vacuum, cold and physical stress on take-off

For about fifteen years, Advanced Technologies has partnered the Cannes Space Centre, a Thales Alenia Space industrial site specializing in satellite production.Laurent Jezequel, test means development Manager at Thales Alenia Space, reveals what goes on behind the scenes of a faithful collaboration… which has withstood some formidable technological challenges.

Expert Comment

a high vacuum and to maintain it. Cryogenic vacuum pumps, supplied by Air Liquide, were used to bring the chamber to 10-7 mbars. These pumps were regularly upgraded by Advanced Technologies, which is also responsible for maintenance.F u r t h e r m o r e , A d v a n c e d Technologies’ cryogenic technologies are used to cool the chamber. “Space” cold at -196°C is produced by thermal panels (also known as “cold skins”) in which liquid nitrogen is circulating. For lower temperatures, used for example in testing the METOP weather observer interferometer, a cryogenic helium machine, designed by Advanced Technologies, is fitted to the simulation chamber.Another example: when we set out to build our new acoustic chamber, to

simulate noise stress on take-off, Advanced Technologies designed a nitrogen vaporization system to power sirens that can emit in excess of 160 decibels! The remarkable thing is the absolute pressure stability and the system throughput, accurate to within a few Psi. We often offer this gas generator as an example. It has, I believe, enabled Advanced Technologies to reach some new customers…

And what about the future?L. J.: Relations between Thales Alenia Space and Advanced Technologies go well beyond a simple relationship between customer and supplier. This relationship is a true partnership. Our technical problems are also their problems. They know our needs and give us support in improving many of our processes, and we value their expertise, which is why we have appointed Advanced Technologies to change all the cold skins in our (espace 70) thermal vacuum chamber. At the same time, we are planning some joint operations abroad, particularly to supply thermal vacuum chambers and gas generation systems for acoustic chambers.

Contact:[email protected]

Janvier 2008

TTHHAALLEESS AALLEENNIIAA SSPPAACCEE,,UUNN AACCTTEEUURR MMAAJJEEUURR DDAANNSS LLEE DDOOMMAAIINNEE SSPPAATTIIAALL

En 2007, Thales Alenia Space a renforcé son leadership Européen dans les systèmes spatiaux en remportant 7 satellites de télécommunication et d’observation et en pénétrant de nouveaux marchés dans le domaine des télécommunications, aux Emirats Arabes Unis, en Norvège et en Indonésie. La société a également signé un partenariat industriel stratégique avec la société russe NPO-PM, permettant aux deux sociétés d’accroître leur position de leader en Russie. Thales Alenia Space a également été présent sur 13 lancements avec tout type de lanceur.

Numéro 1 européen des solutions par satellites et acteur majeur dans le domaine de l'infrastructure orbitale, Thales Alenia Space est une co-entreprise de Thales (67%) et Finmeccanica (33%) et forme avec Telespazio la Space Alliance. Thales Alenia Space est une référence mondiale dans le domaine des télécommunications, de la navigation, de la météorologie, de la gestion de l'environnement, de la défense et de la sécurité, de l'observation et de la science. Avec 7200 salariés et 11 sites industriels, Thales Alenia Space est présent en France, en Italie, en Espagne et en Belgique.

Thales Alenia Space est à la pointe des technologies par satellites que ce soit dans le secteur civil ou militaire. La société est largement impliquée dans :

Les projets environnementaux axés sur l’observation de la Terre tels que le programme GMES(surveillance globale pour l’environnement et la sécurité) avec la fourniture de la première Sentinelle environnementale Sentinelle-1, la météorologie avec MSG (Thales Alenia Space a fourni tous les satellites Meteosat pour Eumetsat) et la climatologie en tant que maître d’œuvre de la mission SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) ; La défense, en tant que maître d’œuvre des systèmes de télécommunications français Syracuse (I, II et III) et italien Sicral et du système d’observation italien COSMO-SkyMed ; et principal partenaire du système de télécoms allemand (Satcom BW) et des systèmes d’observation Helios (France) et SAR-Lupe (Allemagne) ; La navigation avec Galileo. La société est maître d’œuvre du système EGNOS - précurseur de Galileo ; La Science et l’Exploration en tant que maître d’œuvre de la mission ExoMars, une des plus ambitieuses missions d’exploration des années à venir, de la mission GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) et des missions Herschel & Planck;L’Infrastructure Orbitale avec la fourniture de 50% du volume pressurisé de la station spatiale Internationale.

Aujourd’hui, Thales Alenia Space est le premier fournisseur de solutions par satellites en Europe dans le domaine de la défense et de la sécurité, avec de fortes positions dans les satellites et les segments spatiaux etsols. En outre, la société est la référence européenne dans les services opérationnels sur site avec de nombreux clients tels que l’Agence Spatiale Européenne (ESA), le CNES, l’Agence Spatiale Italienne (ASI), les ministères de la défense Français, Italiens et Allemands ainsi que la Délégation Générale de l’Armement (DGA). Thales Alenia Space est aussi très impliqué sur le marché export des satellites duaux civil/militaire, avec notamment Koreasat 5 pour la Corée du Sud, Star One pour le Brésil et Yahsat pour les Emirats Arabes Unis.

Thales Alenia Space a signé un accord de coopération industrielle avec la société russe NPO-PMprévoyant ainsi le développement d’une plate-forme satellite multi-mission de grande puissance (Express 4000) et l’achat en commun d’équipements dédiés à cette nouvelle plate-forme ainsi qu’a sa plate-forme Spacebus.