Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space dec TAS builds satellites and developed components for civil and military space technology. The company is 33 percent of the Italian Finmeccanica and 67 percent for the Thales Group. The French turnout of 67 percent has taken over from Alcatel or Alcatel -Lucent in 2006 Thales. The company's headquarters is located in Cannes with ten sites in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and since 2011 also in Germany. Together with Telespazio, it is the new Space Alliance Thales and Finmeccanica.
The Thales Alenia Space emerged from the company Alcatel Alenia Space (AAS ) on 5 April 2006. Reason for this was that Thales took over the 67 % of Alcatel and Alcatel -Lucent. AAS was established on 1 June 2005 by the merger of Alenia Spazio (Italy) and Alcatel Space (France).
Thales Alenia Space is also involved in the European satellite navigation system Galileo.
In the year 2007 7.200 employees work at Thales Alenia Space at 13 sites in five countries ( Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and the USA).
As a basis for satellites are satellite bus systems in the TAS eg the names Spacebus 3000 and 4000 Spacebus wear and depending on the requirements in different variants used ( eg Spacebus 4000 C3).
In March 2014, the work on the StratoBus project was announced, the prototype should be completed within five years. It is a solar-powered airship, the geostationary work in about 20 km altitude and can replace satellites should.