 | |
| Industry | Space industry,Space tourism |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | EADS Space |
| Founded | December 2006 |
| Founder | EADS |
| Defunct | 2013 |
| Successor | Airbus Defence and Space |
| Headquarters | , |
| Revenue | € 5.8 billion(2012) |
Number of employees | 18,000 (as of 2012[update]) |
| Parent | EADS |
| Website | www |
Astrium was a Europeanaerospace company and subsidiary of theEuropean Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), headquartered inParis. It designed, developed and manufactured civil and military space systems and provided related services from 2006 to 2013. In 2012, Astrium had aturnover of €5.8 billion and 18,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain and the Netherlands. Astrium was a member ofInstitute of Space, its Applications and Technologies.
In late 2013 Astrium was merged withCassidian, the defence division of EADS, as well asAirbus Military to formAirbus Defence and Space.[1] EADS itself was rebrandedAirbus Group, with three divisions:Airbus Commercial Aircraft,Airbus Defence and Space, andAirbus Helicopters.[1]
During 2006–2013, the three main areas of activity within Astrium were:[citation needed]
Astrium Satellites was one of the three business units of Astrium. It was specialized in the manufacturing ofspacecraft used for science,Earth observation and telecommunications, as well as the equipment and subsystems used therein and related ground systems.
EADS Astrium Satellites employed around 8,348 people on nine sites in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. As of 15 October 2012, the CEO of Astrium is Eric Beranger who took over fromEvert Dudok.
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Astrium was formed in 2000 by the merger ofMatra Marconi Space (itself formed from French and British companies) with the space division ofDaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG andComputadores Redes e Ingeniería SA. Henceforth Astrium was a joint venture between EADS andBAE Systems.
On 16 June 2003 the minority shareholder, BAE Systems, sold its 25% share to EADS, making EADS the sole shareholder. Astrium becameEADS Astrium Satellites and in a wider restructuring became the major constituent ofEADS Astrium, which also includedEADS Astrium Space Transportation andEADS 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 theSkynet 5 contract for the UKMinistry of Defence 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 ofInfoterra Ltd.
On 1 July 2006, the French division of EADS Astrium, EADS Astrium SAS, merged with other French subsidiaries of EADS Space (especially EADS Space Transportation). The name of the new company thus becameAstrium SAS. Equivalent mergers have been achieved in 2006 in the other countries.
EADS Astrium Space Transportation was formed in June 2003 from the consolidation of EADS' launch vehicles division (formerlyAérospatiale's space division) and the space infrastructure division of Astrium (whose core was originallyERNO). Until July 2006 it was calledEADS Space Transportation and was a fully owned subsidiary ofEADS 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 became a business division. Currently 4397 employees work in the launcher segment.
The Space Transportation company is the prime contractor for theAriane 5 launcher, theColumbus Module of theInternational Space Station, and theATV, as well as a number of smaller projects (most notablyPhoenix). It also builds launchers for the French nuclear missile program (see alsoMilitary of France), such as theM51 SLBM.
It joined the team led byLockheed Martin for a bid onNASA'sCrew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), being in charge of the craft'sMission 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 calledLIFE, for astronomy from the Moon surface.
The company has facilities in France (Les Mureaux near Paris and Saint-Médard-en-Jalles nearBordeaux) and in Germany; the main facility in Germany is located inBremen. These manufacturing facilities utilise specialist CTH03 and CTH04 high technology equipment containers which allow thesafe transport of Airbus integrated spacecraft in a horizontal position when sending them worldwide to launch sites.
AfterEvert Dudok took over fromAntoine Bouvier as Head of EADS Astrium Satellites on 11 June 2007, Alain Charmeau assumed responsibility of the management of EADS Astrium Space Transportation.
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:
In June 2007, EADS Astrium announced it would be entering thespace tourism sector. On 20 June 2007 the company unveiled a model of the space jet, a one-stagesub-orbital 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.[3] 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.[4]
In September, 2012, Astrium won a €13 million mission definition and design contract from theDLR Space Administration to build a two-vehicle set ofspacecraft to demonstrate several technologies necessary foron-orbit satellite servicing, includingspacecraft refuelling, in order to enable satellite mission extension and also controlled disposal of adefective 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 intolow Earth orbit of 550 kilometres (340 mi). As of 2012[update], the mission "will be ready for launch in 2018."[5]
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 inAstana. 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.[6]
| Dec 1970 | Jan 1992 | July 2000 | Sep 2000 | Jan 2001 | Dec 2006 | Apr 2009 | Sep 2010 | Jan 2014 | May 2015 | Jan 2017 | Apr 2017 | ||
| European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company NV | Airbus Group NV | Airbus Group SE | Airbus SE | ||||||||||
| Airbus Industrie GIE | Airbus SAS | ||||||||||||
| Airbus Military SAS | Airbus Defence and Space SAS | ||||||||||||
| EADS Defence and Security | Cassidian SAS | ||||||||||||
| Astrium SAS | EADS Astrium SAS | ||||||||||||
| Eurocopter SA | Eurocopter SAS | Airbus Helicopters SAS | |||||||||||
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