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Telespazio

From Alfawiki
Telespazio Spa
Company typeJoint venture
IndustrySpaceflight services
FoundedOctober 18, 1961; 65 years ago (1961-10-18) in Rome, Italy
FounderNational Research Council (CNR), Post and Telecommunications Ministry, Italcable, Rai
Headquarters
Rome
,
Italy
Area served
Europe, South America, Italy
ProductsSpace systems design and development, launch operations, satellite control, Earth observation, communications, satellite navigation, scientific projects
OwnerLeonardo (67%), Thales Group (33%)
ParentNone
Websitewww.telespazio.com

Telespazio Spa is a European company specializing in spaceflight services, established in 1961 and based in Rome. It operates as a joint venture with ownership divided between Leonardo holding 67% and Thales Group owning 33%.

The firm focuses on the design and development of space systems, overseeing launch operations, satellite control during orbit, Earth observation activities, integrated communication solutions, satellite navigation, and scientific initiatives. It manages critical space infrastructure such as the Fucino Space Centre and is involved in significant programs including Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, COSMO-SkyMed, SICRAL, and Göktürk.

Telespazio’s presence spans Europe through subsidiaries like Telespazio France, Telespazio Germany, GAF, Spaceopal, Telespazio UK, Telespazio Ibérica, and Rartel in Romania. Its footprint extends to South America with Telespazio Brasil and Telespazio Argentina. Within Italy, it operates through the subsidiary e-GEOS.

History

Founded on 18 October 1961 by Italian entities including the National Research Council (CNR), the Post and Telecommunications Ministry, Italcable, and Rai, Telespazio began its journey in the space sector.[1] In 1962, it entered into a memorandum with NASA to conduct tests on the Telstar and Relay satellites. By 1963, the Fucino ground station located in Ortucchio, Abruzzo captured the initial Telstar signals along with the first images.[1]

The year 1964 marked Telespazio’s facilitation of the inaugural television broadcasts via Telstar from Fucino.[1] A year later, the company signed its inaugural contract with satellite operator Intelsat, establishing commercial telecommunications between Europe and North America. In 1968, Telespazio partnered with Intelsat to deliver telemetry and remote control services for Intelsat satellites. The company also played a key role in broadcasting the live coverage of the Apollo 11 moon landing throughout Europe in 1969.[1]

The 1970s brought growth and diversification. In May 1974, a memorandum was signed with NASA to support the Earth Observation-focused Landsat program.[1] That same year saw Telespazio’s involvement in the Sirio programme, which led to Italy launching its first telecommunications satellite in 1977. The company expanded its activities to include satellite control during orbit and inaugurated a second space centre in Gera Lario, Lombardia that year.[1]

Throughout the 1980s, Telespazio advanced Italian space initiatives such as Italsat.[1] In 1983, under CNR’s guidance and later overseen by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), it established and operated the Matera Space Center dedicated to geodesy operations. A third space centre for satellite communications was opened in 1987 at Scanzano near Palermo.[1]

On 30 May 1991, Telespazio launched ARGO, Italy’s pioneering closed network featuring fixed antennas designed for emergency communications supporting civil protection efforts.[1] Expansion continued internationally with the creation of Telespazio Argentina in Buenos Aires in 1994; two years later it managed the launch of the scientific satellite BeppoSAX. In 1997, Telespazio Brasil was founded in Rio de Janeiro. A collaboration with Romanian company Radiocom resulted in establishing Rartel Company in 1998 to strengthen its Romanian market presence.[1] That same year included an agreement with European satellite operator Eutelsat to commercialize EMS payload aboard Italsat F2.[2]

Italy’s first military communications satellite system, SICRAL 1, overseen by Telespazio, was launched on 7 February 2001.[1] In December 2002, following negotiations with former parent company Telecom Italia, Telespazio became part of Italian aerospace group Finmeccanica.[3] On 25 July 2003, it acquired German Earth observation firm GAF AG.[1]

On 1 July 2005, Telespazio transitioned into a Franco-Italian joint venture through merging with Alcatel’s space services division.[4] This merger coincided with forming Alcatel Alenia Space (now Thales Alenia Space), combining Alcatel Space with Finmeccanica’s Alenia Spazio.[5][6]

In 2007, following approval from the European Commission after competition impact assessments,[7] ownership interests were restructured: Alcatel’s shares in Alcatel Alenia Space (Thales:67%; Finmeccanica:33%) and Telespazio (Finmeccanica:67%; Thales:33%) were transferred to Thales. This realignment created a new strategic space alliance between Thales and Finmeccanica.[8]

January 2011 saw Telespazio acquire space-related operations from Finmeccanica subsidiaries Elsag Datamat Space (Italy) and UK-based VEGA (subsequently renamed Telespazio VEGA UK) for an undisclosed amount.[9] Later that year, a strike within Telespazio delayed an Ariane 5 launch scheduled for September.[10]

In 2017, Thales Alenia Space joined forces with Telespazio and Seattle-based Spaceflight Industries to accelerate development plans for a constellation comprising sixty Earth observation satellites.[11] The subsequent year Orange S.A. collaborated with Telespazio to supply satellite communication services tailored for the French military.[12]

By September 2019, Airbus partnered with Telespazio to jointly market military telecommunications services utilizing upcoming satellites from the Syracuse IV series.[13]

See also

External links

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named official history
  2. ↑ Mobile Service | Flight International | 25 November 1998
  3. ↑ Flight International | January & August 2002
  4. ↑ McGraw-Hill Aviation Week & Space Technology | 2006
  5. ↑ United Nations | Highlights in space 2005
  6. ↑ Flight International | November 2004
  7. ↑ Flight International | April 2007
  8. ↑ Flight International | April 2007
  9. ↑ Satellite Today & Sat News | January 2011
  10. ↑ phys.org | September 2011
  11. ↑ GeekWire | September 2017
  12. ↑ BusinessWire | October 2018
  13. ↑ Intelligent Aerospace | September 2019
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