Thales News

Space Intel Report

High activity

EU Commission signals competition-policy shift to support Thales-Airbus-Leonardo space consolidation

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU is updating competition policy to favor strategic consolidations, citing the proposed Thales-Airbus-Leonardo space merger as an example. The policy shift could ease regulatory scrutiny of larger European aerospace combinations intended to strengthen the region’s industrial position.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

European space players line up ISS, GEO, LEO and VLEO missions through 2028

The Exploration Company won an ESA contract worth up to €760 million for a 2028 Nyx demonstration mission to the ISS, while Eutelsat advanced GEO life extension and IRIS² manufacturing plans. NewOrbit also secured a Q3 2028 launch slot for commercial payloads in very low Earth orbit.

SpaceNews.com

High activity

Eutelsat awards €5.4 billion in IRIS2 contracts and orders 229 additional OneWeb satellites

Eutelsat has awarded Aerospacelab, Thales Alenia Space and Airbus contracts covering all 330 satellites in IRIS2’s LEO component, while authorizing Airbus to begin industrial work on 229 additional OneWeb satellites. The company is also expanding European satellite capabilities through payload and platform partnerships.

Via Satellite

High activity

European space programs advance with IRIS², Earth-observation and reentry-tracking contracts

OHB has won a contract worth more than $1 billion to build the MEO satellite layer of Europe’s IRIS² constellation. Separate agreements cover Italy’s PRISMA Second Generation, constellr’s HiVE thermal-imaging platforms and ESA’s FALCON consortium for tracking uncontrolled atmospheric reentries.

SpaceNews.com

Satellite communications deals span Spain’s secure SpainSat NG-III, Europe’s IRIS² network, Starlab and LATAM connectivity

Hisdesat selected Airbus and Thales Alenia Space to build SpainSat NG-III, while Eutelsat and Poland advanced cooperation on Europe’s IRIS² secure communications program. Separately, SES agreed to support Starlab’s commercial space station and provide multi-orbit connectivity across LATAM Airlines’ Airbus and Embraer fleet.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

Spain advances sovereign military satcom with €2 billion IRIS² commitment and SpainSat NG-III contract

Spain plans to invest €1.6 billion to €2 billion in a national military satellite communications constellation potentially integrated with IRIS², while Airbus will build the secure SpainSat NG-III for Hisdesat. The developments coincide with strong Leonardo Space results and new work on sovereign broadband and direct-to-device payloads.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

ESA, SES and Italian builders expand deep-space and Earth-observation communications capabilities—from quantum-secure ground lin

ESA has tapped Aalyria for a solar-system network-operations center and commissioned an optical ground station in Luxembourg aimed at ultra-secure, quantum-enabled satellite communications. SES will route station data via its O3b mPOWER network ahead of Starlab. Italy’s PRISMA Second Generation hyperspectral mission is moving toward a 2031 launch with Thales Alenia Space and OHB Italia.

AeroTime

France mobilizes an Airbus A400M to combat Gironde wildfires, disrupting Airbus and Rafale-area aerospace operations

France’s military deployed an Airbus A400M to help fight out-of-control wildfires burning west of Bordeaux in late July 2026. As fires threatened the region, aerospace firms—including Dassault, Thales and ArianeGroup—closed nearby sites, while Dassault moved sensitive equipment to Merignac and nearby air-base facilities after the Gironde wildfire idled the Rafale assembly line.