About Thales Alenia Space

Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures.

Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. 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.

Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of 2.15 billion euros in 2019 and has 7,700 employees in nine countries.

Both France and Spain entities participate to this challenging project : Thales Alenia Space in France is the coordinator of the Project, and Thales Alenia Space in Spain is in charge of end-to-end validation.

About University of Las Palmas

The University of Las Palmas, (ULPGC) is a modern institution with a long academic track record, located in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands. The Institute for Applied Electronics (IUMA), scientific partner in this proposal, is the first out of seven research institutes created at ULPGC. It started its activities in the late 1980 by coordinating the synergies of a qualified group of scientists and experts in the fields of microelectronics, communications, computer science and mathematics.

Presently there are 36 doctors and more than 55 researchers at IUMA, with strong presence in diverse initiatives. IUMA members have published more than 300 papers in well-known journals and conferences. The approval of different submissions presented to European and national programs have led to the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment which is employed in the development of new technology products for industries located in USA, Europe and Australia. IUMA has plenty access through the European initiative EUROPRACTICE to a diverse set of tools and technologies focused on the design of complex microelectronic systems for image and video processing. Furthermore, during the last 15 years IUMA has participated in the creation of 8 spin-offs, being a valuable factor of innovation.

About AMOS

Located in Belgium, AMOS has been designing and building high-precision optical and mechanical equipment for more than 35 years.

Its main achievements are a series of large-scale telescopes for professional astronomy, advanced  space optics (mirrors, gratings, optical subsystems, multi- and hyper-spectral imagers, …) for more than 40 Earth Observation or Deep Space missions (Sentinel-2, 3 & 5, Meteosat, Gaia, …), test equipment for space instruments and high-precision mechanical equipment. It offers services and solutions to the space and new space industry, to the professional astronomy sector, to scientific laboratories and to industry.

About Pyxalis

Pyxalis is a supplier of custom and off the shelf CMOS image sensors, and design services dedicated to advanced CMOS image sensors, serving a wide range of applications, including medical, aerospace, machine vision, scientific and consumer imaging.

Funded in August 2010, the company is located in the Grenoble Imaging valley in the French Alps. Specialization in advanced image sensors design makes Pyxalis unique in this region. Pyxalis Team is a group of experts coming from e2v/Atmel/FillFactory-Cypress/LETI with an equivalent experience of more than 250 men years in various domains of CMOS Imaging. With a strong emphasis on innovation (more than 30 filed patents), the team has an excellent track record of first-time-right image sensor product development.

Our key strengths issuing from this industrial experience are: best-in-class time to product/market, profound customer & application knowledge, extensive IP toolbox, advanced on-chip image control and processing integration, advanced pixel designs.

Pyxalis puts a strong emphasis on customer support with in-application characterization and integration support during the critical phases of the system development at custom site.

About Poly-Shape

With an expertise developed in several high tech sectors such as aerospace, mechanical sports, medical devices and energy, POLY-SHAPE positions as one of the European Leader of Metal Additive Manufacturing. With a wide and diverse pool of machines, and a metallurgy laboratory, the company masters all additive manufacturing technologies using metal powders or wires. From design to delivery, including machining and finishing, POLY-SHAPE keeps control over the whole value chain, supported by an exclusive training team and a substantial research and development department. Solving future industrial challenges is the core focus of this innovative company’s strategy.

In September 2018 Poly-Shape joined another big french actor of the 3D printing, AddUp, based in Clermont Ferrand. AddUp was formed on 2016 following the decision of two French leading industrial firms, Fives et Michelin, to create a major player in metal 3D printing. AddUp and Poly‐Shape share the same vision regarding the evolution of the world of 3D printing and the same passion for innovation.