Cannes Mandelieu Space Center
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Cannes |
Key people | Pierre Lipsky, Center Director |
Number of employees | 1,950 (Jan. 2009) |
| Parent | Thales Alenia Space |
| Website | http://www.thalesonline.com/space/index.html |
The Cannes Mandelieu Space Center stands as a prominent industrial site dedicated to the production of spacecraft, situated in Cannes and Mandelieu, France. Founded in 1929 with origins in aircraft manufacturing, the facility transitioned after World War II to focus predominantly on aerospace, with satellites becoming its principal area of expertise.
Initially integrated within Aérospatiale's Satellite Division, the center evolved through Alcatel Space (1998) and Alcatel Alenia Space (2005), before becoming the headquarters of Thales Alenia Space on April 10, 2007.
Primary products
Acting as the lead contractor, this center is responsible for delivering significant satellite projects such as:
- First and second generation Meteosat satellites
- Spacebus series for communications
- Second-generation Globalstar satellites
- The O3b satellite network
- Infrared Space Observatory
- The Huygens mission to Titan
- Small low Earth orbit Proteus satellites, including:
- Planck observatory
- Herschel Space Observatory
- Modules for the International Space Station: Node 2, Node 3, Cupola, and the MPLM
This establishment holds a strategic position within Thales Alenia Space’s global operations and business model, playing a vital role in securing market presence and driving financial outcomes in the aerospace sector.
Role as a key subcontractor
- Cameras utilized on French military reconnaissance satellites Helios-1 and Helios-2
- The IASI (Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer) instrument aboard Metop
- MERIS imaging system installed on the ENVISAT satellite
See also
References
External links
- CASPWiki (in French)
