Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

French space agency president Philippe Baptiste visits Thales Alenia Space's Cannes plant

10/06/2021

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Innovation to drive competitiveness and digital technologies on the table

Cannes, June 9, 2021 - Philippe Baptiste, President of French space agency (CNES), accompanied by Lionel Suchet, the agency's Chief Operating Officer, today visited Thales Alenia Space's plant in Cannes, France, where they were welcomed by Herv Derrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space.

In a space sector undergoing major changes, with the advent of disruptive technologies and fierce competition, France has clearly shown that it belongs among the leaders. French industry has also started its transformation under the impetus of both public agencies and commercial customers, and is now continuing along this path in close collaboration with the entire space ecosystem.

Several key factors, including the digital transformation, lower launch costs, satellite miniaturization for certain applications and fast development cycles, have spurred the entry of new players, backed by new capital and wielding new R&D and marketing models. France has risen to these new challenges and has shown its ability to adapt to new business models, in particular with the launch of Kineis, the first French nanosatellite constellation wholly dedicated to the Internet of Things.

To maintain this momentum and bolster productive collaboration between government and industry, Philippe Baptiste visited one of Thales Alenia Space's largest production plants, a center of excellence in the integration of satellites and very-high-resolution optical instruments. He enjoyed a close-up look at a facility where innovative products and working methods go hand in hand with a proven orbital legacy, new technologies to support the further development of miniaturization and digitalization, on-orbit robotics capabilities and active telescopes for even higher resolution.

I'm very honored to welcome CNES president Philippe Baptiste to our center of excellence in Cannes, as we work together to pave the way for the French space industry's highly promising future, said Herv Derrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Thales Alenia Space. CNES and Thales Alenia Space have long teamed up on world-class technology projects, such as spaceborne altimetry. I'm firmly convinced that we will meet other ambitious and pivotal challenges in the near future by working together, in conjunction with the space ecosystem. While we are already very pleased that the Angels and Kineis projects have blazed a path towards the new space' environment, Thales Alenia Space also plans to expand our industrial role in these and other endeavors to rise to the major challenges facing France and all of Europe in terms of sovereignty, climate monitoring, the digital transition and unleashing the value of space data.

Philippe Baptiste President of French space agency added, I'd like to warmly thank Thales Alenia Space for this wonderful visit. I was really impressed by the assembly, integration and testing capabilities at Cannes, not to mention the hefty investments they required! We are all very proud of the French space industry's proven expertise in orbital systems and the overall excellence which has made our industry an innovation leader. During my visit, I saw some of the products that culminated may years of hard work, including the Syracuse 4A defense satellite, the SWOT scientific satellite platform, which will be mated with its payload from Jet Propulsion Laboratory in just a few weeks, and of course the Sentinel-3 satellite which will help us better understand our own planet.

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies' Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 1.850 billion euros in 2020 and has around 7,700 employees in 18 sites in 11 countries across Europe and a plant in the USA. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

THALES ALENIA SPACE - PRESS CONTACTS

Sandrine Bielecki

Tel: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94

sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com

Tarik Lahlou

Tel: +33(0)6 87 95 89 56

tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com
LINK: https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press-release/french-sp...
See more stories from thales

Europe Stories

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

01/10/2026

Phoenix from Spitfire Audio & BT

Third collaboration with celebrated composer Spitfire Audio have once again teamed up with Grammy-nominated composer, producer and technologist BT, creating...

01/10/2026

Novation launch the FLpad

FL Studio gets dedicated grid controller Novation have teamed up with FL Studio developers Image-Line to create another dedicated controller for the popular...

01/10/2026

Volt Gen 2 & Volt Max interfaces from Universal Audio

Six new USB interfaces introduced Universal Audio's USB audio interface line-up has just been refreshed, gaining six new models aimed at musicians, prod...

01/10/2026

Siretta SNYPER-5G Shortlisted for the IoT Global Awards 2026

Siretta's SNYPER-5G cellular network analyser has been shortlisted for the IoT Global Awards 2026. The IoT Global Awards recognise products, services and o...

01/10/2026

Mesh Broadcast Services and Argo M - A Perfect Fit

Mesh Broadcast Services Fits Big-Truck Audio Power into Compact Eclipse Unit with Calrec Argo M Canadian OB company Mesh Broadcast Services has fitted its Eclip...

01/10/2026

X-Rite Pantone Launches Spectura to Advance Connected Color Quality from Lab to Production

X-Rite Pantone Launches Spectura to Advance Connected Color Quality from Lab to ...

01/10/2026

Nominees revealed for 2026 Sky Arts Awards

Thursday 1 October 2026 Nominees revealed for 2026 Sky Arts Awards Current slide, 0 0, undefined1 0 Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe: MARS Jacob Al...

01/10/2026

Vital TV antenna replaced at Sudbury

Vital TV antenna replaced at SudburyHelicopter and broadcast engineers work together to upgrade TV services for 1.5M in the East -- Share to Linkedin Octobe...

01/10/2026

Arqiva appoints Simon Duffy as Chair

Arqiva appoints Simon Duffy as ChairSimon Duffy joins as Chair effective 01 October 2026 -- Share to Linkedin October 1, 2026 Press Office 01 October 2026...

01/10/2026

The Boys are Back! The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In returns for Season 4

Season 4 of the multi-award-winning hit entertainment series The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In is back, serving up another round of unpredictable laughs, unforg...

01/10/2026

RT lyric fm's award-winning The Lyric Feature returns for new autumn series

New season begins Sunday, 4 October at 6pm on RT lyric fm and RT Listen RT lyric fm's arts and culture documentary series The Lyric Feature returns on S...

01/10/2026

RT Supporting the Arts is supporting 32 cultural events nationwide this October

RT is proud to continue its commitment to supporting and celebrating the arts across Ireland this October, highlighting a vibrant programme of theatre, music, ...

30/09/2026

Sync Audio release MegaMorph

Add an envelope generator to any plug-in Sync Audio's latest creation is a handy utility plug-in that can be used to combine and modulate other effects ...

30/09/2026

Strymon launch the La Brea

All-analogue tape-style drive joins Series A Strymon's reputation was built on their digital knowhow, so many were surprised (and intrigued) when they a...

30/09/2026

Sonuscore The Pulse: Synth Wave & Epic Atmospheres

Two new expansion packs released Sonuscore have just introduced two new expansion packs for The Pulse, its production engine instrument for modern cinematic...

30/09/2026

Clear-Com's Arcadia Central Station Brings Professional Production Communications to...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...

30/09/2026

Harmonic Launches Recon Product Family Developed in Partnership with Comcast

New Solution Expands Harmonic's Network Intelligence Portfolio and Brings Comcast-Developed Fiber Monitoring Technology to Broadband Operators, Providing Re...

30/09/2026

Claire Brock and Sophie Morris discover how consumers can shop smarter in new RT documentary series

How to Shop Well Now starts Monday at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player On the...

29/09/2026

Zynaptiq introduce Loud & Wide

Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...

29/09/2026

Wes Audio unveil the ngOmniBox

All-in-one bus processor revealed Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...

29/09/2026

First Baptist Nashville Drastically Upgrades Production Communications with...

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

29/09/2026

SES Successfully Prices 500 million Eurobond

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN, OR AT ANY ADDRESS IN, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ITS TERRITO...

29/09/2026

The energy transition will only succeed if it lasts

We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...

29/09/2026

Apple releases new guide to help families build healthy digital habits - UPDATE - Posted on 29 September 2026

Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...

29/09/2026

Final Cut Camera now supports variable aperture on iPhone\u00A018\u00A0Pro - UPDATE - Posted on 29 September 2026

Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...

29/09/2026

RT lyric fm launch the hunt for Choirs for Christmas

RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...

28/09/2026

Scaler Music introduce Scaler EQ Pro

EQ plug-in can now be played via MIDI Scaler Music have recently released a new and improved version of their patented musical EQ plug-in, kitting it out wi...

28/09/2026

The Asura from Animal Factory Amps

New synth developed in collaboration with philterSoup Boutique effects pedal and Eurorack manufacturer Animal Factory Amps have announced that the new compa...

28/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz adds an integrated multi-channel pulse analysis option to its FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer

Rohde & Schwarz adds an integrated multi-channel pulse analysis option to its FS...

28/09/2026

Sky launches Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps for millions of homes

Monday 28 September 2026 Sky launches Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps for millions of homes Sky has launched a new Full Fibre 1.6 Gbps product, rolling out from today, gi...

28/09/2026

Arvato Systems Highlights Its Role for Automakers and Suppliers

Arvato Systems Highlights It's Role for Automotive Manufacturers and Suppliers TISAX Arvato Systems has successfully completed the TISAX Level 3 assess...

28/09/2026

Crimecall returns for a brand-new series

Crimecall, presented by Carla O'Brien, returns tonight for a brand new series at 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player. In tonight's episode, alongside appe...

28/09/2026

RT SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2026 - SHORTLISTED STORIES ANNOUNCED

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS AT THE HEART OF NEW IRISH WRITING LIVE FROM POETRY IRELAND, DUBLIN AND ON RT RADIO 1 FROM 7PM DETAILS: www.rte.ie/writing | FOLLOW: #r...

27/09/2026

Boss launch the EX-4 Effects Expander

New compact pedal packs in 120 effects The latest multi-effects pedal from Boss is a compact unit that promises to give any pedalboard a massive boost in s...

26/09/2026

Native Instruments update Maschine

Launched alongside three new expansion packs In celebration of their 30th anniversary, Native Instruments have released a major update for their Maschine 3 ...

25/09/2026

Antares release AutoTune Advanced

Algorithm update & new DVA vibrato-detection engine A new flagship version of Antares' iconic pitch-correction software has arrived, and along with a co...

25/09/2026

Two notes to launch the Captor X Pro

New flagship unit to arrive in early 2027 Two notes Audio Engineering have revealed that a new and improved version of their hugely popular reactive load bo...

25/09/2026

Finalist 2 from Tim Exile

AI-free mixing tool gets an upgrade Launched in October 2025, Tim Exiles Finalist is an algorithmic mixing tool that's been designed for those who don&#...

25/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz Mobile Test Summit 2026 puts the spotlight on 6G - registrations open

Rohde & Schwarz Mobile Test Summit 2026 puts the spotlight on 6G - registrations...

25/09/2026

IBC 2026: When Intelligence Became the Industry's New Competitive Advantage

In our latest blog, Tim Pearson reflects on IBC 2026 and considers the main learnings against an industry that saw AI finally coming out of the labs and into pr...

25/09/2026

How to watch an unmissable weekend of womens football on Sky Sports and NOW

Friday 25 September 2026 How to watch an unmissable weekend of women's football on Sky Sports and NOW Sky Sports and NOW will broadcast seven live games f...

25/09/2026

YAGA trailer released, coming exclusively to Sky and NOW on 31 October in the UK and Ireland

Friday 25 September 2026 YAGA trailer released, coming exclusively to Sky and N...

25/09/2026

'Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media'.

Watch this space: a new strategic direction for UK media. Arqiva has submitted its response to the Governments Green Paper on the future of television distribut...

25/09/2026

Last chance to apply to be part of this year's Late Late Toy Show

Want to be part of this year's Late Late Toy Show? Final call for applications in search for this year's stars The most wonderful night of the year is...

24/09/2026

Waves introduce Tracks Live 2.0

The next generation of multitrack recording for live sound The latest version of Waves' dedicated live multitrack recording software delivers an array ...

24/09/2026

Polyend introduce the Loop

An idea machine for musicians Described as an idea machine for musicians , the latest addition to Polyend's growing collection of guitar pedals combin...