The UK arm of the European satellite maker Thales Alenia Space, with teams in Harwell, Bristol and Belfast working on satellite propulsion, testing and instruments.
Thales Alenia Space in the UK is the British part of a European company that designs, builds and operates satellites. The UK teams focus on propulsion systems that move satellites around, assembly and testing of whole spacecraft, scientific and Earth observation instruments, and on-board electronics. Its propulsion work includes an electric propulsion module, and in Belfast it has a Propulsion Integration Centre where propulsion modules are assembled before being sent to Cannes in France. It has also worked on cryocoolers, special coolers that keep sensitive instruments extremely cold.
The UK business was legally set up in 2013 and bought the SEA space business in 2014. Projects that the company names include ExoMars Rover, BepiColombo (remote interface units for two spacecraft), the EarthCARE broadband radiometer, MicroCarb (a joint UK and French carbon-monitoring mission), the PLATO science mission and propulsion for the Spacebus NEO communications platform. A 2017 article said the UK workforce had quadrupled, mixing recent graduates, apprentices and experienced industry experts, according to then chief executive Ben Olivier. That is an old figure, and later leaders have changed.
The company describes space as "humankind's new horizon to build a better, sustainable life on Earth" and says governments, institutions and companies rely on it to design, operate and deliver satellite-based systems. In the UK it says it is committed to growing national capabilities, partnering with small and medium-sized companies, and working with universities.
It has three UK sites. At Harwell, in Oxfordshire, offices house the company's main design engineering teams for satellite propulsion, plus system and subsystem design for telecommunications satellites. In Bristol, on Bristol Business Park, it has a 116 square metre clean room certified to ISO 8 for assembly, integration and testing. In Belfast it has the Propulsion Integration Centre with a 550 square metre clean room, which opened in October 2016. Satellite testing for major programmes also takes place at the National Satellite Test Facility at RAL Space.
A company like this employs systems engineers, propulsion engineers, electronics and software engineers, test and clean-room technicians, product assurance staff, programme managers and business support teams. The pages we read give no information on day-to-day culture or current headcount, so we have not guessed. If you are interested in rockets and spacecraft, or in the practical side of building and testing hardware in clean rooms, the Bristol and Belfast sites are good examples of where that happens in the UK. The company's website will show what is currently open.
Website: www.thalesaleniaspace.com
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