Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Thales Alenia Space partners with Telespazio in the consortium selected by the European Space Agency to study Lunar Communication and Navigation Services

21/05/2021

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Rome, 20 May 2021 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), is a part of the international consortium led by Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop an advanced feasibility study for telecommunications and navigation to support lunar exploration.

ESA

The study is part of the Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) project within ESAs Moonlight initiative, which aims to create a financially sustainable infrastructure to provide lunar communications and navigation services.

The study will define the architecture and service delivery model for the future development of a complete (end-to-end) system, using existing terrestrial infrastructures and building space assets, such as dedicated satellites, or elements on the lunar surface capable of providing services to the different platforms either arriving on the Moon, orbiting the Moon or landing on its surface, such as rovers, landers or lunar bases, thus identifying key elements for future missions.

Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the definition and design of the entire system, as well as for the design of the space segment (elements orbiting around the Moon) and the lunar segment (elements on the surface of the Moon). The synergy established with Telespazio will ensure the optimisation of the system.

Thales Alenia Space is the perfect partner for such an ambitious project. The company leverages both the expertise developed in the production of the Galileo satellites since the Programmes inception, as well as its experience gained in the development of ESPRIT, the communications and refuelling module that, together with I-HAB (International Habitat), the module that will host the astronauts, represents one of the key elements for the future Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway (LOP-G).

The technologies inherited from the navigation systems and communication elements under development, related to both the optical range and the radiofrequency, enable Thales Alenia Space to minimise development risks by guaranteeing the demanding requirements associated with this mission.

Thales Alenia Space

Thales Alenia Space will be supported by small and medium-sized companies, such as Argotec, specialised in micro-satellites, and Quascom, specialised in navigation systems, that could enable the deployment of small constellations to demonstrate the functionality of the proposed solutions before large-scale development or to increase the capacity of the communication and navigation system in case of specific requirements.

Within this initiative, Altec ( JV Thales Alenia Space 63,75% and Italian Space Agency 36,25%) plays a role in the ground infrastructure, supporting Telespazio in the design and production of the ground segment, exploiting the capabilities gained from the constant support provided to ISS and ExoMars Rover Module.

Communication and positioning systems will play a key role in supporting exploration missions to our satellite, for example by ensuring constant link between astronauts and robotic systems and control centres, as well as the correct and precise positioning of autonomous driving and human-controlled exploration vehicles on the surface, and the navigation during the cruise and landing phases of spacecraft travelling between Earth and the Moon. Furthermore, these services will support the emergence and development of the future Lunar Economy, both in terms of space tourism and, for example, the possibility of using on-site lunar mineral resources, making it easier and cheaper to explore the other planets in the solar system while limiting the impact of mining on our 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 1.85 billion euros in 2020 and has around 7,700 employees in nine countries.

www.thalesaleniaspace.com

THALES ALENIA SPACE - PRESS OFFICE CONTACTS

Cinzia Marcanio Tel: 39 (0)6 415 126 85 cinzia.marcanio@thalesaleniaspace.com

Marija Kovac Tel: 39 (0)6 415 129 91 marija.kovac-somministrato@thalesaleniaspace.com

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/thales-al...
See more stories from thales

Most recent headlines

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 ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

15/04/2026

BBC World Service TV Selects Open Broadcast Systems IP Decoders for Global Distribution

Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BBC World Service has selected its IP ...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: LiveU Expands Collaboration with Sony to Include File-Based Workflow Integration

LiveU has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, add...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ateme and NVIDIA Announce Immersive Video Workflow for Apple Vision Pro

Ateme has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to support live Apple Immersive ...

15/04/2026

Professional Fighters League Renews Multi-Year Partnership with DAZN DACH

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced a multi-year partnership renewal with DAZN DACH, covering Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Canon Sets New Benchmark with CINE-SERVO 40-1200m Lens; New Remote Camera Controller Supports Up to 200 Cameras

Canon U.S.A. (NAB Booth C3825) today took the lid off of the CINE-SERVO 40-1200m...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Panasonic and NEP Group to Demonstrate KAIROS and NEP Platform Integration

Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America and NEP Group will demonstrate a...

15/04/2026

Exclusive Wasabi Report: AI Spending Is Surging, But ROI Tells a Different Story

For the fourth year running, independent analysts found businesses across all industries and verticals pay roughly the same amount in fees as they spend on stor...

15/04/2026

NBC Sports to Broadcast The Soccer Tournament Live on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, May 30-June 1

The Soccer Tournament (TST) has announced a media rights deal with NBC Sports to...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: JB&A Announces Exhibitors for Pre-NAB 2026 Technology Event

JB&A will host the Pre-NAB 2026 Technology Event on April 17-18 at Flamingo Las Vegas, ahead of NAB Show. The event features hands-on demonstrations and technic...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Sennheiser Group to Exhibit with Spectera and AMBEO Updates

The Sennheiser Group will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth 4931, Central Hall), with demonstrations from Sennheiser, Neumann, and Merging across three areas: Rel...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: NAB Show 2026 to Feature Expanded AI, Sports, and Creator Economy Programming

NAB Show 2026 will take place April 18-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, wi...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: AI-Media Launches LEXI Text Encoder and LEXI Voice Encoder

AI-Media has announced the LEXI Text Encoder and LEXI Voice Encoder at NAB Show 2026, the company's first new encoder hardware release in more than a decade...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Cartoni Debuts New Camera Support Products

Italian camera support manufacturer Cartoni will introduce several new products at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C6540, Central Hall), including the Master 30 OB fluid h...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo and swXtch.io Sign MOU to Explore groundSwXtch Integration

Lawo and swXtch.io have announced a memorandum of understanding at NAB Show 2026, under which Lawo will explore incorporating swXtch.io's groundSwXtch softw...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: CacheFly to Demonstrate New CDN Features

CacheFly will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W3129, April 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center), showcasing three new additions to its content delivery platform:...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Synamedia Launches GO Shorts for Mobile-First Short-Form Video

Synamedia has announced GO Shorts, a new module within its Synamedia Go OTT platform that uses AI to convert an operator's existing content library into a s...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026 Preview, Central Hall: Everything You Need To Know Heading Into the Show

The NAB Show kicks off on Saturday, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams a...

15/04/2026

AJA Video Systems to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

AJA Video Systems has announced an agreement to acquire Comprimato, a live video encoding and processing software company. The deal will unite the two companies...

15/04/2026

NBA Playoffs 2026: Prime Vision, Prime Insights Offer New Data-Driven Experiences for NBA Fans

Prime Video Sports' NBA Playoffs coverage, which includes the entire SoFi NB...

15/04/2026

Top Live-Sound-System Manufacturers Team Up To Better Manage Stadium Noise

Just announced, the SDE standard provides a unified method and file format to ensure consistent and reliably comparable noise predictions Sports and entertainm...

15/04/2026

Spotify Podcast Awards Return to Celebrate Latin America's Most Influential Voices

From immersive storytelling to laugh-out-loud comedies, podcasts are booming in ...

15/04/2026

Spotify Expands Audiobook Features, and Printed Book Sales Go Live in the US and UK

Books have always moved with us, whether tucked in our bags or humming in our he...

15/04/2026

Spotify and NIVA Partner to Support Independent Venues Across the US

For many artists, independent venues are where music careers begin and fan communities take shape. Independent venue operators work hard every day to keep local...

15/04/2026

Spotify Editors Reveal Their Picks for Best Book of the Century (So Far)

From gripping thrillers to poignant memoirs, the 21st century has had no shortage of unforgettable books. To celebrate the standout storytelling of our modern e...

15/04/2026

SonicWorld introduce Telsie T

Vintage broadcast experts release second plug-in Telsie T is the second plug-in to be released by SonicWorld, a German audio company who specialise in servi...

15/04/2026

UAD Explore Free from Universal Audio

Includes eight free UAD plug-ins Universal Audio's latest bundle brings together a selection of their renowned plug-ins and virtual instruments, and is ...

15/04/2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&SBroadcastShield at NAB 2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S BroadcastShield at...

15/04/2026

WIDOW: The Mission Software Defining Rotary Strike

Image courtesy of MD Helicopters...

15/04/2026

L3Harris Announces Billion Dollar Expansion to Boost Solid Rocket Motor Production in Orange County, Virginia

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, L3Harris VP Mark Farley, and state and local l...

15/04/2026

Advancing America's Space Defense: L3Harris Completes Critical Milestone on Way to Delivering GBOSS Capability to the Warfighter

U.S. Space Forces Ground-Based Optical Sensor System upgrade at the Maui Space S...

15/04/2026

Winter Olympics, Super Bowl Power NBCU-Versant to Gold Medal Performance in Nielsen's February Gauge Reports

NBCU-Versant notches 13.1% of TV viewing in February, its best since August 2024...

15/04/2026

Nielsen CMI shows New Zealand's over-65s are a growing, cashed-up and still-working audience brands can't ignore

New data reveals older Kiwis are financially resilient, loyal to local products,...

15/04/2026

aconnic launches ACCEED 4430 10 Gigabit system for high volume enterprise and business service aggregation

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the market launch of the ACCE...

15/04/2026

Autocue to Mark 2026 NAB Show Debut of its New PTZ Prompter

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Locality Deploys Nielsen's Media Data Engine

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Viant Announces Agreement to Acquire TVision

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Evergent introduces Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platfor...

Evergent introduces its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform, transforming how subscription businesses across direct-to-consumer streaming, pay-TV, telecommun...

15/04/2026

CentralCast Delivers Breakthrough Efficiencies to Public...

Harmonic's XOS Media Processor Delivers Exceptional Video Quality to More than Half of U.S. Public Media Viewership Harmonic (NASDAQ: HLIT) today announce...

15/04/2026

DPA N Series Wireless System Unlocks Duplex Gap and Guard...

LONGMONT, COLORADO, APRIL 15, 2026 DPA Microphones N Series Digital Wireless System users in North America can now take full advantage of the system's exc...

15/04/2026

Cobalt Iron Launches Compass Tape Gateway Modernizing IBM...

Cobalt Iron, a leading provider of SaaS-based enterprise data protection, today announced the launch of Compass Tape Gateway (CTG), a transformative enhancemen...

15/04/2026

Disguise to Showcase Cutting-Edge Experience Tech for Sports, Broadcast and More at NAB 2026

Disguise to Showcase Cutting-Edge Experience Tech for Sports, Broadcast and More...

15/04/2026

Arooj Aftab Makes the Music She Wants to Hear

Arooj Aftab Makes the Music She Wants to Hear The singular artist explores the juxtaposition of grief and joy, dark and light, in her distinctive sound. Apri...

15/04/2026

Panasonic, NEP Partner on IP-Based Live Production

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Encompass Digital Media Powers Global Cloud Transformatio...

Interra Systems, a provider of end-to-end quality assurance solutions for the digital media industry, is proud to announce its central role in the digital trans...