Thales Alenia Space
takes stake in Airstar
Aerospace
June 19, 2017
Thales Alenia Space
confirmed its
acquisition of a
minority stake in French
company Airstar
Aerospace, a leader in
the construction of
airships and flexible
structures of all types
and operating at all
altitudes.
Jean-Philippe Chessel,
head of the Stratobus™
product line at Thales
Alenia Space, and Romain
Chabert, Chief Executive
Officer of Airstar
Aerospace, signed the
official agreement today
on the Airstar Aerospace
stand at the Paris Air
Show (French Riviera
pavilion, hall 4, stand
B78).
Through this strategic
partnership, the two
companies will be able
to address certain
technological roadblocks
on Stratobus™, a project
to develop an autonomous
HAPS [High Altitude
Platform System] type
airship. Launched in
2015 by Thales Alenia
Space, the project will
benefit from the two
partners’ respective
areas of expertise, with
a flight prototype
expected to be ready
towards 2020.
Thales Alenia Space’s
equity investment
ensures the development
of Stratobus™ by calling
on the expertise of
Airstar Aerospace,
unrivaled in Europe,
concerning the design of
smart, highperformance
and connected airships.
Airstar Aerospace
provides an excellent
fit with Thales’
development of four key
technologies for its own
and its customers’
digital transformation,
namely connectivity,
mobility, big data,
artificial intelligence
and cyber-security. This
strategic partnership
will give Airstar access
to Thales’ vast
ecosystem, encompassing
both subsidiaries and
local small businesses,
enabling it to develop
other projects with this
major space prime.
Thales Alenia Space will
call on Airstar
Aerospace’s expertise in
the design of innovative
flexible structures for
space, as well as
captive observation
balloons, platforms that
complement the
capabilities of drones
and the Stratobus
airship.
Following the signature,
Airstar Aerospace CEO
Romain Chabert said:
“Airstar Aerospace is
proud to be part of the
array of strategic small
businesses associated
with Thales Alenia
Space. We will use our
skills and expertise to
resolve one of the
technical roadblocks in
the development of
Stratobus, namely the
need for a
custom-designed envelope
with all its systems
(nose mooring, pressure
regulation, tail
assembly, etc.). We will
be using our
highest-performance
fabric for the Stratobus
envelope, the lightest
and strongest in the
world, a fabric as thin
as a sheet of paper
capable of withstanding
loads exceeding ten
tons. We are already
developing tomorrow’s
technologies in our
domain. This program
stands out because of a
determination to conquer
new territory, and we
are firmly convinced
that by working together
we will be able to fully
capitalize on our
technologies, by
creating a truly
sustainable business.
Thales Alenia Space
project chief Jean
Philippe Chessel added:
“We are very proud to
support SMI Airstar,
this stake is designed
to consolidate the
development of
Stratobus, a very
innovative product for a
new market involving
services from the
stratosphere. Airstar
Aerospace’s expertise,
unrivaled in Europe and
recognized worldwide, is
already at the heart of
Stratobus, and
complements the skills
offered by Thales Alenia
Space and our other
partners. Their
expertise is a vital
factor in the overall
success of the program
and our aim of starting
airship operations as
early as 2021.
Furthermore, with its
core business of
developing airships,
Airstar Aerospace will
enable Thales Alenia
Space to develop a
comprehensive Stratobus
package for the
intelligence,
surveillance and
telecommunications
markets, by offering
more targeted local
applications. Through
this strategic link-up,
both companies can
develop their positions
in the airship market
and gain a significant
head start on our
competitors.”
