All Articles in Space Exploration

The idea of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in business often conjures up images of space-age workplaces overrun with robots. While the concept of AI seems new to many, it has been around for decades. The phrase “artificial intelligence” was coined in 1956 at a workshop held on the campus of Dartmouth College. Today, the supporting technologies have matured to the point where AI is now practical and effective, becoming one of the most important transformational technologies of the 21st century.

Turin – 8 May 2019  -  After a challenging engineering phase, the Analytical Laboratory Drawer (ALD), the core of the Rover of the ExoMars 2020 ESA Program, has been successfully integrated and tested by Thales Alenia Space, Joint Venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, in its facility in Torino, Italy. Now it is ready to be integrated inside the Rover named Rosalind Franklin, that is provided by Airbus Defense and Space in UK.

“Hi, this is the ExoMars orbiter. How are you doing down there?”
If you’re a space fan, you may know that it’s the Trace Gas Orbiter from the 2016 ExoMars mission talking here. Since then, the spacecraft has been in a circular 400 km orbit around Mars, with all instruments operating as expected and meeting all of its scientific objectives.

From April 8 to 11, Thales Alenia Space will be at the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the United States, to showcase its latest solutions for space exploration and orbital infrastructures. With the deployment of two Thales Alenia Space-built telecommunications satellite constellations being completed this year (O3b in medium orbit and Iridium® NEXT in low orbit), the European satellite manufacturer will show how it planned ahead to negotiate the transition to the “New Space” market environment.

BepiColombo is continuing along an interplanetary trajectory which will gradually bring it to Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. The spacecraft has already covered over 450 kilometers out of a 9-billion-kilometer journey to its “red hot” destination.

When we think about the universe, we all feel like we’re riding an emotional roller coaster, from fear to surprise to wonder.
Last weeks we were all sad, as we said goodbye to NASA’s incredible rover, Opportunity.

October 20th, 2018 - The BepiColombo mission to explore Mercury was launched by Arianespace this evening from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana (South America). But scientists will have to be patient to discover the mysteries of the closest planet to the Sun. As they say, “all good things come to those who wait...” This time it will take seven years, on an incredible journey through the Solar System, before Mercury is in our crosshairs. No point getting hot under the collar either, since Mercury, as you probably know, is very “hot stuff” indeed. You’ll just have to cool your heels until BepiColombo reaches what Jacques Brel called the “unreachable star” in his famous song, “The Impossible Dream” (La Quête/”The Quest” in the original French).

BepiColombo probe will reveal the mysteries of the smallest and least explored planet in the Solar System

October 4th , 2018 – Thales Alenia Space, the joint company between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced today that it has signed a contract with OHB System AG for the new ESA program PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) . OHB System AG will be the prime contractor with Thales Alenia Space as a partner. PLATO will be the third medium-class (M3) science mission in ESA’s Cosmic Vision Program, following Solar Orbiter (M1) and Euclid (M2), and preceding Ariel (M4). The satellite will be launched in 2026 for an initial mission length of 4.5 years.

Cannes, September 4, 2018 - Thales Alenia Space, joint venture between Thales 67% and Leonardo 33%, announced today to have signed contracts with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the Phase A/B1 studies of two elements of LOP-G (Lunar Orbital Platform - Gateway), formerly known as the Deep Space Gateway.