Thales Alenia Space to develop low-Earth orbit Cargo Return Service
Thales Alenia Space has signed a €25m contract with the European Space Agency to demonstrate a cargo delivery service to and from space stations in low-Earth orbit by 2028.
The development of this LEO Cargo Return Service will be co-founded by Thales Alenia Space.
During this two-year phase contract, Thales Alenia Space, as the prime contractor, will develop the service through the consolidation of the business plan and the preliminary engagement of potential investors and customers.
The company will also be responsible for the initial development of the spacecraft, focusing on requirements, architectures, technology maturation and de-risking activities.
Thales Alenia Space in Italy is the industrial prime contractor. Thales Alenia Space in France will be involved in the spacecraft development while ALTEC, a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space Italia and the Italian Space Agency, will be responsible of the Ground Segment and Recovery Ground Support Infrastructure developments.
During Phase 1, the industrial team will be enlarged to include additional companies to capitalise on the existing know-how within the European space industry and to ensure the most efficient execution of the project.
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