Thales Alenia Space expands presence in Europe with 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), and the investment in the UK Space Gateway at Harwell. More recently, the UK Government secured a significant share of the Neosat programme 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.

Nick Clark, a third year business graduate, has recently joined the Thales Alenia Space business as a Business Development and Sales Coordinator. Nick says: "Due to the small size of our recently inaugurated team, my role in Thales Alenia Space is very diverse. I have responsibilities in business development, market analysis, bid management and communications. I benefit from fantastic exposure to the top level decisions taken in a global business and no day is ever the same. The space sector definitely lives up to its reputation as an exciting place to work!"