(Finance) – It took place today, at the Roman plant Thales Alenia Space, joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), the visit of Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso. The minister visited the Satellite Integration Center of Thales Alenia Space Italia, the strategic center of the company’s production capacity where, among others, Sentinel-1C, the third satellite of the Sentinel 1 mission of the European environmental monitoring program, was integrated and tested Copernicus, successfully launched in recent days.
The Sentinel-1C satellitefor which Thales Alenia is the prime contractor, is part of the European program as a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA), with the support of the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Following its launch on December 5, the Sentinel-1C satellite joined the Sentinel-1A satellite in orbit, providing critical radar imagery for a wide range of scientific applications aimed at protecting our planet.
In the company’s clean rooms and excellent technological laboratories with a controlled atmosphere (atmospheric pressure, humidity and particle pollution), the various components necessary for the creation of small and medium-sized satellites for programs that pose Thales Alenia Space in a leading role at European level. The second generation Galileo satellites, the second generation COSMO-SkyMed satellite and the satellites of the IRIDE observation program are currently being built.
During the visit the minister was also presented with a virtual tour of the innovationat Space Smart Factory, the digital factory of Thales Alenia Space under construction at the Tecnolopolo Tiburtino in Rome. This new reality, created through an important investment with co-financing by the Italian Space Agency through PNRR funds, will be characterized by the intensive use of digital technologies and Factory 4.0 and will also host the Space Joint Lab, an innovative environment and collaborative which is aimed at the supply chain of small and medium-sized enterprises and research centres.
“Space has an entirely Italian dimension, it represents the past but also the future of Made in Italy. Companies like Thales Alenia Space Italia demonstrate the level of excellence achieved by the sector, allowing us to be competitive on a global level – he declared Ursus–. The government has already allocated 7.3 billion euros in space projects between now and 2026 and is alongside companies like this, which contribute to projecting our country among the protagonists of technological innovation and space exploration”.
“It is with great honor that we welcomed the Minister of Business and Made in Italy Adolfo Urso on his visit today – declared Giampiero Di Paolo CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia –. In light of the recent successful launch of the Sentinel-1C satellite, the Minister’s presence in our laboratories and clean rooms represented a significant recognition of our commitment to enhancing our country’s space heritage and excellence. We are proud to be part of a satellite manufacturing tradition that combines innovation and quality and the minister’s visit today not only motivates us to continue on the path of high technology, but also testifies to the importance of constant dialogue between institutions and the world productive for the development and growth of the space sector. Finally, special thanks to the Minister for his constant commitment and support to all of us who work to raise the name of Italy in space.”
“We are proud to welcome Minister Adolfo Urso to one of the centers of excellence of our Thales Alenia Space joint venture and we thank the Italian Government for its constant and continuous support in a strategic sector for the technological, economic and sustainable future of the country and the Europe – he declared Massimo Claudio Comparini, managing director of Leonardo’s Space Business Unit and president of the Board of Directors of Thales Alenia Space –. Italian space is at the technological frontier in all application domains as demonstrated by the recent successful launch of the Sentinel-1C satellite with Avio’s Vega C launcher. Leonardo, as a leader in the sector, is at the forefront in supporting the evolution and competitiveness of excellent programs also implemented on this site such as IRIDE, COSMO-SkyMed and Copernicus”.