Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space announce an investment In NorthStar Earth and Space Inc.

The Space Alliance formed by Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) and Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67%, Leonardo 33%) announced today it has officially taken a stake in NorthStar Earth and Space Inc. (NorthStar), a Montreal based information services company developing the world’s most advanced environmental and near-space monitoring system.

Through its investment, as part of an overall CAD$52 million first round of  public and private financing,  the Space Alliance is proving that it plays a leading role in the New Space sector, providing solutions to NorthStar for the design, development and realization of a unique 40 satellite constellation based on double equipped satellites to provide Space Situational Awareness and Geo Information services. 

Space Situational Awareness refers to the ability to view, understand and map the physical location of natural and man-made objects in orbit around the Earth (currently there are more than 600 thousand objects in low Earth orbit with hundreds of billions of dollars of space assets at risk from collisions). 

Today the Earth Observation technology of most satellite players is mainly based on optical and radar solutions. Through hyperspectral sensors, which deduce the chemical and mineral composition of matter on Earth, Northstar will provide value added information products with regard to agriculture, forestry, fishery, urban planning, oil & gas markets – other than to Defense and other institutional customers. 

Telespazio will mainly act in the business development activities in Europe for both the SSA and the EO segments, being responsible for the design and development of service infrastructure for institutional and commercial customers. Thales Alenia Space will principally work for the design and development of the Space Segment System and Architecture, including satellite bus and relevant payloads. Together, Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space will support NorthStar in the design, development, realization and operations of the Ground Segment systems and subsystems.

About NorthStar Earth and Space Inc.
Based on a constellation of 40 satellites with the power to continuously detect and analyze the fine chemistry of objects on the surface of Earth, NorthStar will deliver Earth Observation information to diverse global markets, and provide precise tracking of orbital debris to reduce the probability of collisions and protect high-value assets in space. Data will be made available through NorthStar’s AGILE (Applications for Global Innovation and Leadership) Centre Platform, in cooperation with a worldwide community of Applications Developers. AGILE Centres around the world will foster clusters of activity in Big Data and Predictive Analytics, the first generation of smart environmental protection apps. The First AGILE Centre will be based in Montreal. Earth Observation and Space Object Tracking services are rapid-growth areas and represent the future of the global space economy. When fully operational, NorthStar expects to create an estimated 1,600 direct and indirect high-skilled jobs related to Big Data and Information Analytics, and support the expansion of aerospace, satellite design and sensor technology industries in Canada and abroad.The founding shareholders of NorthStar include Telesystem Ltd and KinetX Inc. Based in Montreal, Telesystem is a media and technology holding company with a successful track record as a leading global telecommunications player and with high growth technology start-ups. KinetX Inc. is a US-based company which specializes in orbital dynamics and is the originator of the NorthStar concept. http://norstar-data.com/

About the Space Alliance
The Space Alliance, founded in 2005, is a strategic partnership between Leonardo and Thales, the major industrial groups in the aerospace industry in Italy and France. It includes two joint ventures: Telespazio (Leonardo 67%, Thales 33%) and Thales Alenia Space (Thales 67%, Leonardo 33%). The complementary capabilities of Thales Alenia Space in satellite systems and Telespazio in the services associated with them provides the Space Alliance all the assets needed to respond positively and effectively to the needs of the market, which today are increasingly focused on applications related to space technologies. In this scenario, Telespazio and Thales Alenia Space have a unique offering of its kind, ranging from the field of communications to navigation, as well as scientific research and observation, which enables both companies to consolidate their position in the aerospace and defence and security markets.

About Telespazio
Telespazio, a Leonardo and Thales 67/33 joint venture, is one of the world’s leading operators in satellite services. Its activities range from the design and development of space systems to the management of launch services, from in-orbit satellite control to Earth observation, from integrated communications, satellite navigation and localisation services to scientific programmes. Telespazio plays a leading role in the reference markets harnessing technological experience acquired over the years. Since its establishment, the company has participated in major European space programmes such as Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and COSMO-SkyMed . In 2017, Telespazio generated sales of EUR 564 million while employing approximately 2,500 people in eight countries. www.telespazio.com