Airbus, Leonardo and Thales have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) aimed at combining their respective space activities into a new company.
By joining forces, Airbus, Leonardo and Thales aim to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy in space, a major sector that underpins critical infrastructure and services related to telecommunications, global navigation, earth observation, science, exploration and national security. This new company also intends to serve as the trusted partner for developing and implementing national sovereign space programmes.
The project is expected to unlock incremental revenues, leveraging an expanded portfolio of end-to-end products and services leading to a more competitive offering, and greater global commercial reach. The combined capabilities also pave the way for even more innovative new programmes to enlarge the new company’s market positioning. Further operational synergies in, among others, engineering, manufacturing and project management, are anticipated to drive long-term efficiency and value creation. Upon conclusion of the transaction, this new company will encompass the following contributions:
- Airbus will contribute with its Space Systems and Space Digital businesses, coming from Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space.
- Thales will mainly contribute with its shares in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio, and Thales SESO.
Guillaume Faury, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, Roberto Cingolani, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Leonardo and Patrice Caine, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Thales said “This proposed new company marks a pivotal milestone for Europe’s space industry. It embodies our shared vision to build a stronger and more competitive European presence in an increasingly dynamic global space market. By pooling our talent, resources, expertise and R&D capabilities, we aim to generate growth, accelerate innovation and deliver greater value to our customers and stakeholders.
