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Astrium was an
aerospace manufacturer An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry. ...
subsidiary of the
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
(EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 18,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Astrium was a member of
Institute of Space, its Applications and Technologies The Institut au service du spatial, de ses applications et technologies (ISSAT) (in English Institute of Space, its Applications and Technologies), is a French association supported by French Ministry of Education, created in 1995 in order to develo ...
. In late 2013 Astrium was merged with
Cassidian Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...
, the defence division of EADS and
Airbus Military Airbus Military was a business unit of Airbus, which was part of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) from 2009 to 2013. The company was formally created in April 2009 by the integration of the former Military Transport Aircraft D ...
to form
Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...
. EADS itself was reorganized as the
Airbus Group Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...
, with three divisions that include
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
,
Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...
, and
Airbus Helicopters Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturer, helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located ...
.


Business structure

During 2006–2013, the three main areas of activity within Astrium were: * Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and
ground segment A ground segment consists of all the ground-based elements of a space system used by operators and support personnel, as opposed to the space segment and user segment. The ground segment enables management of a spacecraft, and distribution of p ...
* EADS Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure * Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.


Satellites

Astrium Satellites was one of the three business units of Astrium (now
Airbus Defence and Space Airbus Defence and Space is the division of Airbus SE responsible for the development and manufacturing of the corporation's defence and space products, while also providing related services. The division was formed in January 2014 during the ...
), a subsidiary of EADS (now
Airbus Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace manufacturer, aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft througho ...
). It is a European space manufacturer involved in the manufacturing of
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
used for science,
Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
observation and telecommunications, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems. EADS Astrium Satellites employs around 8,348 people on nine sites in the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. As of 15 October 2012, the CEO of Astrium is Eric Beranger who took over from
Evert Dudok Evert Dudok (born February 23, 1959 in Venlo, Netherlands) has been the President of EADS Astrium Satellites since June 2007. Prior to this date he was president of EADS Astrium Space Transportation since June 2005. Before that he was Head of Earth ...
who became
Astrium Services Astrium was an aerospace manufacturer subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) that provided civil and military space systems and services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had a turnover of €5.8 billion and 18 ...
.


History

Astrium was formed in 2000 by the merger of
Matra Marconi Space Matra Marconi Space (MMS) was a Franco-British aerospace company. History Matra Marconi Space was established in 1990 as a joint venture between the space and telecommunication divisions of the Lagardère Group ( Matra Espace) and the GEC g ...
(itself formed from French and British companies) with the space division of
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG ''Dasa'' ( sa, दास, Dāsa) is a Sanskrit word found in ancient Indian texts such as the ''Rigveda'' and '' Arthasastra''. It usually means "enemy" or "servant" but ''dasa'', or ''das'', also means a "servant of God", "devotee," " votary" or ...
and Computadores Redes e Ingeniería SA. Henceforth Astrium was a joint venture between EADS and
BAE Systems BAE Systems plc (BAE) is a British multinational arms, security, and aerospace company based in London, England. It is the largest defence contractor in Europe, and ranked the seventh-largest in the world based on applicable 2021 revenues. ...
. On 16 June 2003 the minority shareholder, BAE Systems, sold its 25% share to EADS, making EADS the sole shareholder. Astrium became EADS Astrium Satellites and in a wider restructuring became the major constituent of EADS Astrium, which also included EADS Astrium Space Transportation and EADS Astrium Services. In this restructuring the former Astrium Space Infrastructure division merged with EADS Launchers & Vehicles division to form EADS SPACE Transportation, which became later EADS Astrium Space Transportation. Also, Paradigm Secure Communications, initially created by Astrium in the frame of the
Skynet 5 Skynet is a family of military communications satellites, now operated by Airbus Defence and Space on behalf of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MoD). They provide strategic and tactical communication services to the branches of the ...
contract for the UK
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
became the major constituent of EADS SPACE Services. CASA Espacio became part of EADS Astrium on 1 January 2004. EADS Astrium is the sole shareholder of
Infoterra Ltd Infoterra is a provider of geospatial products and services. They support applications such as flood risk analysis, network planning, humanitarian relief and geological mapping. One of Infoterra's main areas of expertise is data acquisition and pro ...
. On 1 July 2006, the French subsidiary of EADS Astrium, EADS Astrium SAS, merged with other French subsidiaries of EADS Space (especially EADS Space Transportation). The name of the new company is Astrium SAS. Equivalent mergers have been achieved in 2006 in the other countries. The EADS group does not communicate about these mergers, excepted when required by the law, such as in contractual documents.


Space transportation

EADS Astrium Space Transportation was formed in June 2003 from the Space Infrastructure division of Astrium (whose core was originally ERNO) and the EADS Launch Vehicles division (formerly
Aérospatiale Aérospatiale (), sometimes styled Aerospatiale, was a French state-owned aerospace manufacturer that built both civilian and military aircraft, rockets and satellites. It was originally known as Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale ( ...
's Space division). Until July 2006 it was called EADS Space Transportation and was a fully owned subsidiary of EADS Space. In July 2006 the three subsidiaries of EADS Space (EADS Space Transportation, EADS Astrium, and EADS Space Services) were reintegrated into one company, EADS Astrium, of which EADS Astrium Space Transportation is a business division. Currently 4397 employees work in the launcher segment. The Space Transportation company is the prime contractor for the
Ariane 5 Ariane 5 is a European heavy-lift space launch vehicle developed and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA). It is launched from the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in French Guiana. It has been used to deliver payloads int ...
launcher, the
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
Module of the
International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
, and the ATV, as well as a number of smaller projects (most notably
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
). It also builds launchers for the French nuclear missile program (see also
Military of France The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...
), such as the
M51 SLBM The M51 SLBM is a French submarine-launched ballistic missile, built by ArianeGroup, and deployed with the French Navy. Designed to replace the M45 SLBM (In French terminology the MSBS – ''Mer-Sol-Balistique-Stratégique'' "Sea-ground-Strategic ...
. It joined the team led by
Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...
for a bid on
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
's
Crew Exploration Vehicle The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) was a component of the U.S. NASA Vision for Space Exploration plan. A competition was held to design a spacecraft that could carry humans to the destinations envisioned by the plan. The winning design was the ...
(CEV), being in charge of the craft's ''Mission Module''. The team won a contract from NASA in June 2005. In 2005, EADS Astrium Space Transportation started a campaign in favour of a project called
LIFE Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
, for astronomy from the Moon surface. The company has facilities in France (
Les Mureaux Les Mureaux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. It is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zer ...
near Paris and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles near
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
) and in Germany; the main facility in Germany is located in
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
. These manufacturing facilities utilise specialist CTH03 and CTH04 high technology equipment containers which allow th
safe transport
of Airbus integrated spacecraft in a horizontal position when sending them worldwide to launch sites. After
Evert Dudok Evert Dudok (born February 23, 1959 in Venlo, Netherlands) has been the President of EADS Astrium Satellites since June 2007. Prior to this date he was president of EADS Astrium Space Transportation since June 2005. Before that he was Head of Earth ...
took over from Antoine Bouvier as Head of EADS Astrium Satellites on 11 June 2007, Alain Charmeau assumed responsibility of the management of EADS Astrium Space Transportation.


Programmes


Telecoms


Military


Earth observation


Science


Navigation


Services

Astrium Services is the services division of EADS Astrium. The services division specializes in military satellite communications services and currently employs about 2,200 personnel. Astrium Services is responsible for delivering the following services and systems:


Space tourism

In June 2007, EADS Astrium announced it would be entering the
space tourism Space tourism is human space travel for recreational purposes. There are several different types of space tourism, including orbital, suborbital and lunar space tourism. During the period from 2001 to 2009, seven space tourists made eight s ...
sector. On 20 June 2007 the company unveiled a model of the space jet, a one-stage
sub-orbital A sub-orbital spaceflight is a spaceflight in which the spacecraft reaches outer space, but its trajectory intersects the atmosphere or surface of the gravitating body from which it was launched, so that it will not complete one orbital re ...
hybrid craft, utilising both jet and rocket engines. Carrying four passengers, the space jet would take off from regular airports using conventional jet engines. After flying to the needed altitude, the rockets would then be fired. After reaching its final altitude of 100 km, passengers would experience weightlessness for three minutes. Tickets were expected to cost up to €200,000 with flights possibly beginning in 2012. EADS estimated the development cost would approach 1 billion Euros. In March 2009 EADS Astrium confirmed that the programme had been placed on hold indefinitely; the decision had been made in January of that year.


On-orbit satellite servicing

In September, 2012, Astrium won a €13 million mission definition and design contract from the DLR Space Administration to build a two-vehicle set of
spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...
to demonstrate several technologies necessary for
on-orbit satellite servicing On-orbit satellite servicing refers to refueling or repairing space satellites while in orbit. New commercial interest in on-orbit servicing of satellites is in large part due to the decreased costs of launching commercial satellites and the ri ...
, including spacecraft refuelling, in order to enable satellite mission extension and also controlled disposal of a defective satellite. The project is entitled "DEOS" (German orbital servicing mission), and consists of two satellites, a 'client' and a 'servicer'. The client acts as the satellite requiring maintenance or disposal. The servicer carries out the necessary work on the client. The two spacecraft will be launched together into
low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...
of . , the mission "will be ready for launch in 2018."


Partnership

In 2010 Astrium signed with JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS), the national company charged with the development of Kazakhstan's space programme, a contract for a Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test (AIT) Centre in
Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
. Under the contract Astrium will provide and install the various test equipment (mechanical, radiometric, thermal and acoustic facilities) at the new AIT Centre. Astrium will also assist KGS in the construction of the AIT Centre to ensure coordination with the test equipment. The AIT Centre will form part of the Space City that the Kazakhstan space agency, Kazcosmos, is developing in Astana. The city will also include the ground segment for the two Astrium-built satellites, as well an administrative building and a space museum.


See also

*
Aerospace industry in the United Kingdom The aerospace industry of the United Kingdom is the second-largest national aerospace industry in the world (after the United States) and the largest in Europe by turnover, with a global market share of 17% in 2019. In 2020, the industry employed ...


References


External links

*
Route To Space Alliance
{{Authority control Defunct aerospace organizations Manufacturing companies based in Paris Spacecraft manufacturers Airbus Defence and Space Former Airbus subsidiaries and divisions