Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
This contract represents a significant leap in securing Europe sustainable access to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The vehicle and associated ground infrastructure will be compatible with the evolution towards crew transportation to human outposts in LEO, as well as cargo return service from the Gateway space station in cis-lunar orbit.
This program will benefit from Thales Alenia Space's cutting-edge technology, know-how and long-standing expertise in space exploration vehicles and infrastructure.
Bruxelles - 22 May 2024 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed a first phase contract worth 25m with the European Space Agency (ESA) to demonstrate a complete cargo delivery service to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit by 2028. The development of this LEO Cargo Return Service will be co-founded by Thales Alenia Space.
Thales Alenia Space's role
Earth Re-entry Vehicle technological demonstrator, R&D base for the future evolution of the LEO Cargo Return Service Thales Alenia Space
During this two-year phase contract (from June 2024 to June 2026), Thales Alenia Space, as the prime contractor, will develop the service through the consolidation of the business plan and the preliminary engagement of potential investors and customers. The company will also be responsible for the initial development of the spacecraft, focusing on requirements, architectures, technology maturation and de-risking activities.
Thales Alenia Space in Italy is the industrial prime contractor. Thales Alenia Space in France will be involved in the spacecraft development while ALTEC, a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space Italia (63,75%) and the Italian Space Agency (36,25%), will be responsible of the Ground Segment and Recovery Ground Support Infrastructure developments. During this Phase 1, the industrial team will be enlarged to include additional companies in order to capitalize on the existing know-how within the European space industry and to ensure the most efficient execution of the project.
The Phase 2 will cover the further development of the service and spacecraft, as well as the execution of the demonstration mission. This demonstration mission, which includes the delivery of pressurized cargo to the ISS and the safe return of the cargo back to Earth, is targeted by the end of 2028.
A forward looking program positioning Europe in the upcoming space economy
Thales Alenia Space
This program comes at a time when the space exploration landscape is evolving rapidly, with a blend of institutional and commercial players embarking on missions to explore Low Earth Orbit, the Moon, and Mars. Thales Alenia Space aims to develop a competitive and flexible end-to-end commercial passenger and cargo transport service, raising the bar in terms of innovation and efficiency while reinforcing the companys role as a major player in the upcoming space economy.
We're truly honored that ESA has placed its trust in our company by awarding the contract to develop cargo transportation services for commercial operators of Low Earth Orbit stations, thus giving us, as a leading European company, the opportunity to develop a commercial service to offer on the global market. said Massimo Comparini, Deputy CEO and Senior Executive Vice President, Observation, Exploration and Navigation at Thales Alenia Space. Thales Alenia Space has played, in the recent past, a key role in enabling mankinds ambitions in Low Earth Orbit. Today, leveraging on its expertise in space exploration infrastructure and vehicles, the company, fully in line with the European Space Agency's vision, wishes to invest in the development of technological solutions to give Europe a sustainable access to Low Earth Orbit .
Thales Alenia Space can draw on more than its 40 years' heritage in space exploration and transportation, playing an undisputed role in the development of the International Space Station, of the Lunar Gateway and the backbone of Orion's service module, and participating in flagship transportation programs like IXV and Space Rider. The future space ecosystem is calling for new solutions dedicated to the transportation and return of cargo from LEO and the Lunar Orbit, as well as crew transportation to LEO. Thales Alenia Space is ready to put in place what is needed to prepare for humanity's future life and presence in space, laying the foundations for the post-ISS era and meeting new economic needs in research and science.
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 2.2 billion euros in 2023 and has around 8,600 employees in 17 sites in 10 countries across Europe and a plant in the USA.
THALES ALENIA SPACE - PRESS CONTACTS
Tarik Lahlou
Tel: +33 (0)6 87 95 89 56
tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com
Catherine des Arcis
Tel. : +33 (0)6 78 64 63 97
catherine.des-arcis@thalesaleniaspace.com
Cinzia Marcanio
T l. : +39 (0)6 41 51 26 85
Ci
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
07/05/2026
Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...
07/05/2026
Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...
07/05/2026
Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...
07/05/2026
Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...
07/05/2026
From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...
07/05/2026
Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...
07/05/2026
Company announce long-requested choir instrument
In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...
07/05/2026
Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control
Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...
07/05/2026
Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing
Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...
07/05/2026
Control surface now officially supports four DAWs
When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...
07/05/2026
In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...
07/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...
07/05/2026
January 8, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), a leader in high-performance, on-s...
07/05/2026
February 9, 2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer i...
07/05/2026
March 20, 2024
NAB 2024, Las Vegas - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-awa...
07/05/2026
April 1, 2025
CINEMACON, APRIL 1, 2025 - Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming syste...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), an Academy and Emmy Award-winning de...
07/05/2026
June 15, 2025
Colorfront participated in the ICTA Barcelona Cinema Technology Summit on Sunday, June 15, 2025. Held at The Phenomena Experience, the event feat...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
July 1, 2025
Passion and dedication will take you places. Come with us on a short trip to the heart of India, where Annapurna Studios is living-up to the inspi...
07/05/2026
July 3, 2025
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning developer of high-performance dailies/transcoding/streaming systems for motion pictures, OTT,...
07/05/2026
September 1, 2025
IBC 2025, Amsterdam - Colorfront (colorfront.com) - the Acade...
07/05/2026
April 17, 2026
LOS ANGELES - April 17, 2026 - Colorfront today announced Colorf...
07/05/2026
April 23, 2026
NAB 2026, Las Vegas - the Academy and Emmy Award-winning develop...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky continues Sphere Abacus partnership with The Death of S...
07/05/2026
Thursday 7 May 2026
Sky Confirms Saturday Night Live UK will return this September for Series Two
Saturday Night Live UK will return for a second series, as S...
07/05/2026
Save 20% on the Sky Glass Gen 2 and Sky Glass Air TVsThursday 7 May 2026
How to watch the World Cup on Sky Glass
Tune into the World Cup on the BBC and ITV vi...
07/05/2026
Production sound mixer Dirk Sciarrotta has mixed Family Feud for 28 seasons. Thats up to 200 syndicated episodes per year, plus primetime celebrity specials - a...
07/05/2026
As audience expectations have evolved, Owen has stopped trying to hide microphones or excuse amplification. Instead, he treats sound as a fully immersive part o...
07/05/2026
Well known Irish faces pushed to the edge in new series of
Uncharted with Ray G...
07/05/2026
RT will premiere A Traveller Family, a compelling new documentary exploring the...
06/05/2026
New pricing tiers for vocal/dialogue restoration tool
NoiseWorks Audio's AI-powered vocal and dialogue processing plug-in is now available in three diff...
06/05/2026
Popular mixing & routing software overhauled
Following a recent public beta test, RME have launched the final release version of the powerful mixing and rou...
06/05/2026
New SOS Video Feature
Focusrites ISA C8X is a milestone product that brings together the companys analogue heritage and their expertise in digital audio. Yo...
06/05/2026
06 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar Authorized to Resell Starlink for Businesses & ...
06/05/2026
UKTV has secured the exclusive rights to the early back catalogue of iconic Australian drama series Neighbours, following a landmark content deal with Fremantle...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky commissions feature documentary to mark 10th anniversa...
06/05/2026
Wednesday 6 May 2026
Sky and Formula 1 agree long-term partnership across UK, Ireland and Italy
Sky in the UK & Ireland to remain the home of Formula 1 until ...
06/05/2026
Sky Zero Footprint Fund-backed TV campaign launches nationwide, supported by new...
06/05/2026
Wuppertal May 6, 2026
Riedel Expands Leadership Structure, Appoints Marc Engro...
06/05/2026
SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 6, 2026 - Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announced its latest broadband innovations for ANGA COM 2026, highlighting its vision for a new e...
06/05/2026
Statement from Rupert Murdoch, Chairman Emeritus, Fox Corporation on Ted Turner&...
06/05/2026
Friday 8 May on RT One and RT Player
Meet the NSPCA team caring for and protecting animals in need in this six-part series
Fly on the wall, six-part series...
05/05/2026
Experts from the world of academia, tech, business, politics and media convened for a Thomson Talks at the Cambridge Disinformation Summit in April. It's th...
Facebook 
