Airbus, Thales and Leonardo create the European giant in the space sector

Airbus, Thales and Leonardo create the European giant in the space sector


The companies aim to strengthen the continent’s capabilities in the area

In a strategic move to consolidate Europe’s autonomy and competitiveness, giants Airbus, Leonardo and Thales announced on Thursday (23) the signing of a memorandum of understanding to unify their space activities.




The initiative aims to create a globally competitive player to face competition from American companies such as Elon Musk’s Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which have deployed satellites in low Earth orbit to provide high-speed internet and other services.

The new company, whose creation is still subject to regulatory approval, is expected to start operating in 2027 to strengthen Europe’s position in areas such as telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, scientific research and security.

Pan-European Airbus will enter the business with space systems and digital space activities, coming from the Airbus Defense and Space division; Italy’s Leonardo will contribute to its space division, including stakes in satellite company Thales Alenia Space and space systems services company Telespazio, both joint ventures with France’s Thales, which, in addition to these two operations, will also integrate optical systems manufacturer Thales Seso into the merger.

The merger will create a company with approximately 25,000 employees across Europe, with teams distributed mainly in Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, and an annual turnover of approximately 6.5 billion euros (R$40 billion). The headquarters of the joint venture will be in Toulouse, in the south of France.

Airbus will hold 35% of the operation, Leonardo 32.5% and Thales 32.5%. “This is a fundamental step towards the development of the European space industry. We are building a stronger and more competitive European presence in an increasingly dynamic global space market,” said CEOs Guillaume Faury (Airbus), Roberto Cingolani (Leonardo) and Patrice Caine (Thales) in a joint statement.

“The partnership is in line with European governments’ ambitions to strengthen their industrial and technological resources, ensuring Europe’s autonomy in the space sector,” the executives added.

The initiative was also welcomed with enthusiasm by the French government, which defined it as “excellent news” for European sovereignty, while the Italian Minister of Economy, Adolfo Urso, stated that the union “is going in the right direction”. “We must encourage the birth of European champions capable of competing on a global level and guaranteeing the strategic autonomy of our continent”, he underlined.

Source: Terra

You may also like