Thales Alenia Space expands presence in UKwith acquisition
of SEA’s space business
June 9 2014
Thales Alenia Space announced the completion
of the acquisition of the space activities
of Systems Engineering & Assessment Limited
(SEA), part of Cohort plc. This acquisition
will reinforce the perimeter of its new
subsidiary Thales Alenia Space UK and will
boost its growth in systems engineering and
research & technology (R&T).
The
acquisition will provide to Thales Alenia
Space UK expertise in electronics and space
mission subsystems and a customer base that
already includes ESA.
Thales Alenia Space UK has recently opened
their new offices in Harwell, Oxfordshire,
which in addition to space propulsion
activities in Belfast, and now the
acquisition of SEA’s space business has
established Thales Alenia Space as a
national contributor to the UK space
industry.
Martin Gee, CEO of Thales Alenia Space UK.
said “Our decisionto
come to the UK, motivated by the UK
Government’s work has been supported by
concrete actions to bolster the development
of our activities in the short term. Our
acquisition of the space business of SEA
gives a kickstart to our ambitions in the
UK, and aligns well with the global business
of Thales Alenia Space, and in particular
regarding a number of technologies that have
been developed here in the UK by the SEA
engineers, and their use in future space
missions, in addition to a number of
exciting ongoing international programs.”
Thales Alenia Space
President and CEO Jean Loïc Galle emphasized
that, “Through this acquisition, Thales
Alenia Space UK is in working order to
support the UK Space Agency and aspire to
reinforce its development in the advanced
space technologies. This approach is a
natural fit with the company’s “Ambition 10”
growth plan for the coming years.”
