Thales Alenia Space and Partners Deliver ESA’s Next-Generation Deep Space Antenna at New Norcia Ground Station

© Thales Alenia Space

(IN BRIEF) The European Deep Space Antenna Alliance (E-DSA²), comprising Thales Alenia Space, Schwartz Hautmont, and mtex antenna technology, has inaugurated the European Space Agency’s new NNO-3 deep space antenna at New Norcia, Australia. The 35-meter antenna, part of ESA’s ESTRACK global network, enhances communication capabilities across X, K, and Ka frequency bands, supporting missions like ExoMars, Euclid, and future projects such as Plato. The E-DSA² consortium oversaw all aspects of design, engineering, and installation, with contributions from Callisto France and Rheinmetall Italy. Following successful signal reception from the Euclid spacecraft, NNO-3 is now fully operational, marking a significant advancement in Europe’s deep-space communication infrastructure.

(PRESS RELEASE) NEW NORCIA, Australia, 6-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — The European Deep Space Antenna Alliance (E-DSA²)—a collaboration between Thales Alenia Space, Schwartz Hautmont, and mtex antenna technology—has celebrated the inauguration of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) NNO-3 deep space antenna at the New Norcia ground station near Perth, Australia. The event, held on October 4, marks a major milestone in Europe’s capacity to communicate with and manage missions exploring the farthest reaches of the solar system.

Part of ESA’s ESTRACK global network of ground stations, the NNO-3 is a new-generation 35-meter deep space antenna designed to operate across the X, K, and Ka frequency bands, significantly expanding ESA’s deep-space communication capabilities. This advanced infrastructure will support scientific data collection and command transmission for ongoing missions such as ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter—currently orbiting Mars—and Euclid, which is mapping one-third of the sky to study dark matter and dark energy. It will also support upcoming missions including Plato, set to launch next year to search for and observe exoplanets.

© Thales Alenia Space

In a significant technical achievement, NNO-3 recently received its first signal from the Euclid spacecraft, confirming the antenna’s readiness for deep-space operations. Deep-space antennas face the challenge of capturing extremely faint signals from distant spacecraft and amplifying them for communication, enabling critical scientific data transmission and mission control operations.

Within the E-DSA² consortium, Thales Alenia Space—a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)—was responsible for the antenna’s overall system performance, including engineering of the radio frequency, power, and cooling systems. Schwartz Hautmont handled the mechanical structure engineering, manufacturing, and installation, while mtex antenna technology oversaw mechanical design, procurement, installation, and testing. The consortium also benefited from the contributions of Callisto France, which supplied cryogenically cooled low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), and Rheinmetall Italy, which provided high-power amplifiers (HPAs).

“I would like to thank the European Space Agency for placing its trust in our consortium to deliver the second Deep Space Antenna in New Norcia, now the fourth in ESA’s network,” said Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space. “This success for the E-DSA² consortium marks an important milestone that will undoubtedly open the door to new opportunities within the institutional space market and beyond.”

Antonio Aldecoa, CEO of Schwartz Hautmont, added: “This project began as a challenge to enhance existing antenna performance, and it has brought out the best from every member of E-DSA². We are proud to deliver this state-of-the-art system and deeply grateful to ESA for their trust.”

The NNO-3 antenna represents a major step forward in Europe’s ability to explore the universe, offering enhanced capacity for communication, data collection, and control of deep-space missions that expand scientific understanding of the cosmos.

About the E-DSA² consortium
The European Alliance for Deep Space Antennas (E-DSA²) is formed by Thales Alenia Space, Schwartz-Hautmont and mtex antenna technology.

The E-DSA² consortium also relies on the proven products and renowned expertise of Callisto France, a mid-size firm in Villefranche de Lauragais, for the cryogenically cooled LNAs, and on Rheinmetall Italy for the HPAs.

See here for more details about the ESTRACK antenna network. Access EstrackNOW to follow ground station activity in real-time.

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 monitoring, 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 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 Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of solutions including services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of €2.23 billion in 2024 and has more than 8,100 employees in 7 countries with 14 sites in Europe. www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Thales, Media relations
pressroom@thalesgroup.com

SOURCE: Thales