Thales Alenia Space established new British subsidiary, Thales Alenia Space UK

Harwell, UK, 2-5-2014 — /EuropaWire/ — Thales Alenia Space announced today that it is further expanding its presence in Europe with the creation of a new British subsidiary, Thales Alenia Space UK.

Based at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus (HISC) in Oxfordshire, Thales Alenia Space UK is an integral part of the company’s strategy to bolster its presence in key countries that invest heavily in the space sector. It follows the opening of Thales Alenia Space subsidiary in Germany in 2011 and the extension of the presence of Thales Alenia Space in Belgium by the creation of an office in Leuven.

The decision to locate a new subsidiary in the UK was spurred by the UK Government’s commitment to fund space activities and create new initiatives to foster growth in the space industry – including the formation of the UK Space Agency, an increased contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA), the investment in the UK Space Gateway at Harwell, and more recently securing a significant share of the Neosat program for the UK. Thales Alenia Space UK will be an integral part of Thales Alenia Space Neosat prime engineering activities, and will contribute to the design and production of the propulsion subsystem for this new platform.

The announcement of Thales Alenia Space UK comes on the day that the UK Government outlines its response to the Space Growth Action Plan, building on the work of the joint industry-government Space Innovation & Growth Strategy 2010-2030.

Martin Gee, CEO of Thales Alenia Space UK said “Globally, the space industry is moving very fast, and there is exponential growth in demand for space-based communications, navigation and observation. Thales Alenia Space’s decision to come to the UK is a direct result of the UK Government’s work to create a space-friendly R&T environment, new access to funding and an effective business support network”.

Thales Alenia Space President and CEO Jean Loïc Galle emphasized that, “Through this new subsidiary, Thales Alenia Space UK will support the UK Space Agency in meeting their ambitious goals, and play a key role in the development of new skilled jobs in the most advanced space technologies. This approach is a natural fit with the company’s strategic plan of enhanced growth for the coming years.”

About Thales Alenia Space:
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%), is a key European player in space telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, exploration and orbital infrastructures. Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio form the two parent companies’ “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Because of its unrivaled expertise in dual (civil/military) missions, constellations, flexible payloads, altimetry, meteorology and high-resolution optical and radar instruments, Thales Alenia Space is the natural partner to countries that want to expand their space program. The company posted consolidated revenues in excess of 2 billion euros in 2013, and has 7,500 employees in six countries. 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)4 92 92 68 45
tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com

John Warehand
Tel: +44 (0)7817 455409
john.warehand@thalesgroup.com