The minister for technological innovation and digital transition with responsibility for space and aerospace policies, Vittorio Colao, visited the Thales Alenia Spac plant in Rome today where, at the Satellite Integration Center, it was able to ‘greet’ the second Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation satellite before being sent to the Space X launch base in Cape Canaveral, from where it will be launched to reach the first satellite of the new generation launched in December 2019. To Colao’s visit to the joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) Leonardo’s CEO, Alessandro Profumo, and the president of the Italian Space Agency, Giorgio Saccocci participated. Accompanying Colao in his visit were also the Coordinator of space activities of Leonardo and CEO of Telespazio, Luigi Pasquali, and the CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia, Massimo Claudio Comparini.
The Italian constellation Cosmo-SkyMed of the Second Generation, as well as the first, represents the world flagship of radar technology for Earth Observation and for Thales Alenia Space. This Program, in particular, represents a historical reference in terms of satellites based on radar technology and has paved the way for the new offering of state-of-the-art radar satellites.. In this program, the Italian industry plays a leading role, with Leonardo and the joint ventures Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, also involving a significant number of small and medium-sized enterprises. Thales Alenia Space is prime contractor for the entire system, while Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) built the Earth segment and hosts the command and control center of the constellation in the Fucino Space Center. The data generated by the Cosmo-SkyMed satellites are marketed all over the world by the company e-Geos (Telespazio 80%, Asi 20%).
Thales Alenia Space points out that in the Satellite Integration Center the main production lines concern remote sensing, telecommunications and satellite navigation. In the clean rooms and technological laboratories of excellence of the company, with controlled atmosphere (atmospheric pressure, humidity and particle pollution), the various components necessary for the construction of small and medium-sized satellites for programs that pose Thales Alenia Space with a leading role at European level. The Sentinel 1C and 1D satellites of the European Space Agency’s Copernicus program for environmental monitoring are currently at an advanced stage of integration. Thales Alenia Space is also the protagonist of Copernicus Expansion, being involved in 5 of the 6 new expansion missions of the Copernicus program. In fact, the company will conduct 3 missions as prime contractor Cimr, Rose-L, Chime and will supply the payloads for another 2 Co2M and Cristal missions.