
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Integration activities completed for a soon shipment from Turin to Cannes facilities at Thales Alenia Space Turin, 1 July 2022 - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced that all the integration activities for the Euclid satellite have been completed at the Turin plant and Euclid will soon be heading to the Thales Alenia Space plant in Cannes, where it will carry out environmental tests, prior to the launch campaign. Euclid is a technological gem that will play a leading role in the challenging scientific missions of the European Space Agency (ESA) with the contribution of many national space agencies, including the French and Italian Space Agencies (CNES and ASI). The mission is designed to explore dark energy and the mysteries of dark matter.
Thales Alenia Space
Euclid satellite is for the first time in its launch configuration equipped with all the on-board subsystems and the scientific instruments VIS (Visible Instrument) and NISP (Near Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer) being individually integrated and tested. In addition the telescope, previously integrated at the Airbus Defense & Space plant in Toulouse, has been installed on the service module as well as the Solar Panel and the Antenna .
Thales Alenia Space in Italy is the prime contractor for the Euclid mission satellite and is also responsible for its service module, as well as leading the industrial team of more than 120 European companies.
Thales Alenia Space
How did the Universe come into existence and why is it expanding at an accelerated speed, rather than decelerating due to the gravitational attraction of all the matter it contains? This is one of the most important questions in modern cosmology and Euclid, by mapping the structure of the Universe on a large scale over 10 billion light years, will reveal the history of its expansion and growth of cosmic structures over the last three quarters of its history.
I would like to emphasise the excellent team work carried out over the last few years by both the project team and the entire industrial consortium for the ESA Euclid mission, said Walter Cugno, Vice-President of Exploration and Science at Thales Alenia Space, a very synergic and punctual work that confirms Thales Alenia Spaces ability to lead the development of highly challenging scientific missions. Contributions from Thales Alenia Space in Spain, Belgium and France, enabled to reach this important programme milestone, which will be now completed by environmental tests carried out in Cannes then followed by the launch campaign of this truly challenging mission.
Thales Alenia Space/Consuelo Pecchenino
Communicating at 1.5 million kilometres distance
Euclid will map the 3D distribution of up to two billion galaxies and associated dark matter during a six-year mission, covering most of the observable sky outside our Milky Way. The complete survey consists of 150 thousand high - definition images with associated colour and spectral information, resulting in close to a petabyte of compressed data to be downlinked. This huge amount of data will be transmitted by the satellite from its orbit around the L2 Sun-Earth Lagrangian point at a distance of 1.5 million kilometres from the Earth, using its K-band (26 GHz) radiofrequency data transmission system to the ESAs stations located in Cebreros, Spain, and Malarg e, Argentina, equipped with 35 meters parabolic antennas. Euclid also incorporates an X-band system to control and monitor the spacecraft and measure its distance to Earth.
Euclid industrial contributions
Among the main subcontractors, Airbus Defense & Space in Toulouse, France, is responsible for the Payload Module, comprising the telescope and optical bench housing the sensors of the 2 VIS and NISP instruments.
These instruments have been developed by an international consortium led by the IAP astrophysics institute in Paris, in which no fewer than 10 French research laboratories are involved (attached to the national scientific research centre CNRS and CEA, the French atomic energy and alternative energies commission), supported by CNES.
Thanks to the cold gas micropropulsion built by Leonardo, ESA will be able to control the orientation of the probe in space with corrections in observation direction. Information regarding the telescopes line of sight will also come from a Leonardo sensor: specifically developed for the Euclid mission, the Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) is a highly accurate star sensor, mounted directly onto the telescope, with the aim of ensuring absolute alignment between the axis of the telescope and the reference stars. Furthermore, Leonardo supplies the photovoltaic panels, which will provide power for all the probes systems.
The Euclid K-band deployable and steerable high gain antenna draws on Thales Alenia Space in Italys unique expertise in this domain in exploration missions to the Solar System, like Cassini-Huygens (Saturn), BepiColombo (Mercury) and ExoMars (Mars).
Thales Alenia Space in Italy has also provided the X-band Transponder, while the X-band and K-band Travelling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTA) have been developed by Thales Alenia Space in Belgium.
Thales Alenia Space in Spain provided the satellite telecommunication system, given its strong heritage in data transmission systems for all types of space missions and orbits.
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 posi
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
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, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
10/09/2026
Harmonic Leads the New Era of Broadband Connectivity at SCTE TechExpo 2026 Showcase Spotlights Include:
New cOS SensAI intelligence fabric unleashing data-pow...
10/09/2026
RT to Broadcast Amgen Irish Open free-to-air
New multi-year agreement will see RT continue to bring the Amgen Irish Open to Irish audiences
Ryder Cup hig...
10/09/2026
More than 30 women report allegations of sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying within National Ambulance Service
Tonight on RT Prime Time, 9:35pm, RT One ...
10/09/2026
Series 3 of Nero's Class begins Friday 11 September on RT Listen
The third...
09/09/2026
New parts aimed at hip-hop and pop productions
The latest update to Celemony's innovative virtual session musician expands the collection of built-in in...
09/09/2026
Save up to 40% until 21 September 2026
Sonarworks are currently running their Autumn Sale, with discounts of up to 40% currently available across their rang...
09/09/2026
Upcoming title officially launches in September 2026
Bjooks' celebrations for this year's 909 Day will be welcome news amongst drum machine lovers, ...
09/09/2026
September 9 2026, 22:35 (PDT) Cinema Sunshine Becomes Japan's First Exhibit...
09/09/2026
Wednesday 9 September 2026
Tom Daley adds final stitch to giant Baa-Ewe' t...
09/09/2026
Red Seat Ventures Integrates Barometer into Speakeasy to Maximize Podcast Revenu...
09/09/2026
Baselight-powered color comes natively to Media Composer, connecting creative de...
09/09/2026
RT brings three packed days of live radio, entertainment, news, weather and fun
Join RT Radio 1: Morning Ireland, Oliver Callan, Today with David McCullagh,...
08/09/2026
Built for rap producers, by rap producers
Sauceware Audio, the independent plug-in company founded by Grammy-nominated producer Jacob (Travis Scott, 21 Sava...
08/09/2026
Classic Sound Techniques design revived
Warm Audio's latest release delivers a meticulous recreation of the preamp circuitry employed by the Sound Techn...
08/09/2026
Latest soft synth inspired by the Memorymoog
XILS Lab have just launched a software instrument that draws its inspiration from Moog's iconic Memorymoog,...
08/09/2026
September 08, 2026 NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - Soundcraft today announced the launch of its Signature Plus Series Analog Connected Mixing Consoles. As the next genera...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Sky Go gets a major upgrade for Sky Glass and Sky Stream customers
Today, Sky launches a new version of the Sky Go app for Sky Glass ...
08/09/2026
Documentary thriller simulating a Russian attack on UK soil will culminate in a live final episode reuniting the playersTuesday 8 September 2026
Trailer releas...
08/09/2026
Tuesday 8 September 2026
Jamie Demetriou and Amelia Dimoldenberg to host next t...
08/09/2026
Wuppertal September 8, 2026
Riedel Introduces New OnAir Headset PlatformRiedel Communications today announced the launch of its new OnAir headset platform, a...
08/09/2026
BERLIN, September 8, 2026 - J nger Audio will introduce a major expansion of its flexAI audio processing platform at IBC 2026. The flexAI system adds autonomous...
08/09/2026
New Vendor-Agnostic Broadband Intelligence Fabric Reduces Operational Complexity and Improves Service Quality for Broadband Service Providers SAN JOSE, Calif. -...
08/09/2026
Arvato Systems Brings TI Expertise to the Stage
Panels, workshops, and real-world examples at the TI-SUMMIT 2026
Arvato Systems, a partner of the TI-SUMMIT 2...
08/09/2026
On October 1, Apple Arcade is rolling out a lineup of fun new games for players ...
07/09/2026
Two new full-range, flat-response cabinets introduced
HeadRush have recently introduced a pair of new full-range, flat-response cabinets designed for player...
07/09/2026
Answering questions about AI in game audio
GameSoundCon, the largest professional conference for video game music and sound design, have announced that they...
07/09/2026
New directional headset mic on show at IBC
Just ahead of this week's IBC show, DPA have announced the launch of a new directional headset that's bee...
07/09/2026
We are not building systems to replace human decision-making; we are building systems that execute our decisions at machine speed. The media companies that win ...
07/09/2026
Every day, we rely on products to work safely, from the power bank in your bag to the solar panels on rooftops. Behind that trust is a process called conformity...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Freddie Meredith joins cast of SNL UK ahead of start of Season 2
Freddie Meredith Images
ZIP (3MB)
Saturday Night Live UK announces ...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky and NFTS team up to launch new routes into screen careers
Sky has today announced a new apprenticeship programme, with application...
07/09/2026
Monday 7 September 2026
Sky Sports announces most comprehensive NFL coverage to...
07/09/2026
Dolby, MainConcept, Techex and J nger Audio will showcase the industry's first demonstration of Serial Audio Definition Model (S-ADM) in a cloud-based produ...
07/09/2026
dB Broadcast will showcase APIS Hive, its software platform for designing, deploying and managing modern broadcast infrastructures, at IBC 2026.
Developed from...
07/09/2026
552,000 streams on RT Player
The historic fight, which saw Katie Taylor become...
06/09/2026
Recreates Rolands TB-303 & MC-202
BS-203 MacroAcidizer is the first virtual instrument from Born Second, and it offers a recreation of two Roland classics -...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
05/09/2026
MK2 & Bass system control app improved
HEDD Audio have just launched a new and improved version of the control software that pairs with their MK2 and Bass m...
04/09/2026
Media organisations interested in the Media Innovation Europe 3.0 Business Innovation Synergizer (BIS) can now consult a new FAQ document providing additional a...
04/09/2026
Powerful new soft synth announced
Traveler is the first software instrument to be released by KeySolutions Sounds, and it's an ambitious one! Said to co...
04/09/2026
Free virtual instrument range expanded
The latest expansion of e-instruments' free Fragments series introduces a packed-down version of the company'...
04/09/2026
Company recognised for second time
Two years after winning an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award for dxRevive Pro, Accentize have been recognised ...
04/09/2026
Bilbao - 3rd September 2026 -AgileTV, a leading provider of end-to-end TV and vi...
04/09/2026
RT ANNOUNCE NEW DRAMA THE MURDER OF MR. MOONLIGHT
BASED ON THE DISAPPEARANCE...
03/09/2026
Yospace will be at IBC from 11th - 14th September (booth 5.C78). For more inform...
03/09/2026
Create musical synth bass sounds from scratch
Anthony Marinelli Music have recently announced the launch of Bass DNA, a new online course that teaches music...