Thales Alenia Space, the world champion in 3D-printed parts in orbit!
Cannes, May 16, 2017 – With the recent launches of the Telkom 3S, SGDC and KOREASAT-7
satellites, plus satellites in the Iridium Next constellation, Thales Alenia Space has now sent into
orbit 79 metal parts made by additive manufacturing (3D printing) and 350 polymer tube supports
for chemical propulsion systems.*
The story started two years ago, back in April 2015, with the first 3D-printed aluminum antenna
support, sent into orbit on the TurkmenAlem MonacoSat satellite. Since then, all of the company’s
telecommunications satellites use lightweight 3D-printed antenna supports and reflector fittings.
In mid-January 2017, with the successful launch of the first Iridium NEXT satellites, Thales Alenia
Space also sent into orbit satellites with propulsion system tube supports, the first flight application
of thermoplastic additive manufacturing.
The next step for Thales Alenia Space will be the manufacture of larger and larger parts using this
process, such as dual antenna supports for a new telecom satellite, to be launched shortly. These
parts measure 480 x 378 x 364 mm, a real challenge from the manufacturing standpoint. “Our
development efforts are now focusing on integrating several functions in a single part, such as
mechanical, thermal and radio-frequency functions,” explains Florence Montredon, Additive
Manufacturing Technology Development manager at Thales Alenia Space. “The challenge lies as
much in the design process as in the production technique per se.”
Additive manufacturing provides real benefits for spaceborne products. For example, it allows
designing and manufacturing single-piece structures, as opposed to a conventional manufacturing
approach, which entails the assembly of several different parts to form a structure. The upshot is a
significant reduction in weight, along with cost savings. The tube support perfectly illustrates the
ability to replace several parts by a single-piece structure, thanks to additive manufacturing, while
also introducing new functions.
Additive manufacturing also means greater design freedom and the absence of tooling, which
makes it the perfect technology for complex parts – with curves, holes or cavities – that are
produced in small runs or on a one-off basis.
*Out of the total of 79 parts, 47 have different designs and are used on the aforementioned satellites, where
they carry out 13 different functions (some of these parts are design variants for a given function). The tube
supports are made of a polymer and are all identical, with 35 used on each of the ten satellites launched to
date.
** Thales Alenia Space generally focuses on metallic materials for this process, including aluminum and
titanium. The most commonly used technique is laser beam melting (LBM), with a bed of metallic powder.
One or several lasers progressively melt the powder, layer by layer, in a controlled atmosphere. This
technology demands a high level of expertise to control the various design restrictions and the “printing”
machine’s complex settings. Producing a part may take several hours or even days of continuous printing.
About Thales Alenia Space
Thales Alenia Space brings over 40 years of experience to the design, integration, testing and operation of innovative
space systems for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science
and orbital infrastructures. A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams
up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and
solutions. Thales Alenia Space has built up unrivaled expertise in dual (civil-military) missions, constellations, flexible
high-throughput payloads, altimetry, meteorology, and high-resolution radar and optical observation. The company
capitalizes on its strong legacy, while also making innovation a key to its strategy. By offering a continuous stream of
new products and expanding its global footprint, Thales Alenia Space has established its leadership in today’s fastevolving space sector. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of about 2.4 billion euros in 2016 and has
7,980 employees in nine countries. www.thalesaleniaspace.com
Thales Alenia Space Press Contacts:
Sandrine Bielecki
Phone: +33 (0)4 92 92 70 94
Chrystelle Dugimont
Phone: +33 (0)4 92 92 74 06
[email protected]
[email protected]