AeronauticsSpace
Insights
ALTEN in Space
Explore New Spaces
A business request?
You want to join us?
Space exploration is one of humanity’s most exciting and daring endeavors. Since Galilee’s use of the telescope in the 17th century to the recent SpaceX human space flights, space has captivated the imagination of people around the world.
With new technologies and innovations, the possibilities for exploration are endless, and the potential for discovery is boundless.
Private sector flies into space
The private sector’s enthusiasm for space continues to boost the sector and will democratize new applications (space travel, satellite imagery, internet via satellite, data processing, Internet of Things (IoT), etc.). The current geopolitical context triggers new developments and innovations regarding the space defense strategy.
After the success of the American New Space (Space X, Blue Origin, etc.), it is now Europe’s turn to encourage the development of the private sector. Partnerships are increasing between the ESA and traditional industries companies and start‑ups.
In the same time, the space industry is accompanying states in the protection of the cosmos and space assets, through new technologies and cybersecurity.
ALTEN, your key partner to cover the full scope of space development
ALTEN has a partnership history of over 20 years with the space industry’s leading stakeholders. We are an active participant in changing landscape, and a top supplier of satellite engineering and integration services. From spacecrafts to satellites, all the way to ground segment and downstream, ALTEN is involved in the complete value chain of the space sector. We support our customers throughout studies, development, manufacturing, integration, tests and operations as one of the top suppliers.
ALTEN in the space industy
65M€
2024 turnover
10+
countries
3
domains of expertise in space : Launchers, satellites, ground operations
What are the market trends in the space industry?
New private actors and the miniaturization of electronics have shaken up access to space. It has switched quickly from “custom-built” satellites worth more than €100 million with an operational lifespan of 15 years, to mass-produced satellites (weekly manufactured), costing just tens of thousands of euros and lasting between 3 and 5 years.
For 5 years, the launch of nano/micro satellites has increased: by 2030, more than 1,000 satellites are sent into orbit. These figures are still in progress, some companies are planning to send several tens of thousands of satellites into orbit. It’s the race for mega-constellations!
Challenges:
- Implement serial production of satellites
- Triple the frequency of launches
- Reduce the risk of collision in orbit
- Constellation management
- Address the problem of space debris and satellite end-of-life
Launching a satellite can account for nearly a third of the overall cost. In this context, reducing launch costs is a key factor of competitiveness in the space sector.
While Ariane 6 promises costs 40% lower than Ariane 5’s, Europe wants to go further by developing a reusable liquid oxygen engine demonstrator (Prometheus) to divide the cost of current engine production by 10. On the American side, SpaceX aims to reuse a launcher within 24 hours and to halve the cost of the mission.
Challenges:
- Speed up time to market of new launchers
- Set up a clocked and serial production system and in series
- Qualify the solutions of reusable launchers and micro-launchers
As one of the largest collectors of environmental and climate data, the space sector wants to share and make accessible its data and above all monetize it by creating new services with added value (i.e. meteorological and agricultural harvest predictions, traffic management, IoT services).
Challenges:
- Master new IT technologies (Cloud, Big Data, AI, etc.)
- Transform the industrial and economic model
- Rethink the ground segment’s IT architecture
- Make data easily accessible to end users
ALTEN Value Proposition
Our expertise & our offers
Smarter engineering to speed up product innovation
System Engineering covers the full product lifecycle: upstream (needs analysis, requirements definition, system architecture) and downstream (integration, verification, validation, qualification – IVVQ – and certification). This end-to-end approach ensures full traceability, robust performance, and compliance with regulations.
Engineering excellence from legacy turbines to next-gen aero-engines
Aerospace and Defense propulsion system manufacturers face a dual challenge:
- Ensuring the performance and availability of legacy engines that drive aftermarket revenues.
- Accelerating innovation toward greener engines, such as electric and hydrogen propulsion, to meet net-zero targets.
Mechanical mastery powering aerospace innovation
The aeronautics, space and defense sectors are undergoing a major transformation, driven by increasing system complexity, ambitious sustainability targets, and rapid digitalization.
Empowering systems with safe and high-performance code
Aerospace and Defense programs increasingly rely on embedded software to deliver performance, safety, and competitiveness. Yet, software complexity is growing exponentially — systems must process more data, respond in real time, integrate with hardware, and comply with the strictest certification and cybersecurity standards.
Smarter embedded systems for innovation and reliability
In Aerospace & Defense, electronics are evolving at high speed — driven by electrification, embedded intelligence, and digital continuity. To stay ahead, OEMs and suppliers must deliver increasingly complex, connected systems while meeting ever-stricter safety, qualification, and cybersecurity requirements.
Agile and sustainable manufacturing for a new industrial era
The aerospace and defense industry is facing a decisive industrial shift, driven by production acceleration, digital transformation, and environmental transition.
Data-driven strategies to secure and streamline aerospace production
Aerospace and defense players navigate unprecedented production ramp-ups while facing disrupted supply chains, geopolitical uncertainty, and rising sustainability demands. Tier-1 and Tier-N suppliers encounter bottlenecks, part shortages, and fragmented systems, all threatening delivery performance and program timelines.
Ensuring system integrity with sovereign and secure-by-design solutions
In an era of growing geopolitical tension, digital interdependence, and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, sovereignty and cybersecurity have become strategic imperatives for aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure stakeholders.
Mastering complexity to deliver impactful results
Aerospace and defense programs are growing in complexity. Accelerated time-to-market, on-time delivery, and competitiveness require managing extended value chains and evolving risks.
Leading the green shift throughout the product lifecycle
ALTEN combines 17 years of sustainability experience in aerospace & high‑tech industries with a 500‑strong pool of environment, health & safety (EHS) consultants to deliver end‑to‑end green transformation. Our offer helps clients comply with evolving regulations (REACH, CSRD, Fit‑for‑55), reduce their environmental footprint, and embed a sustainability‑first culture.
Unlocking the full value of aircraft operations through data-driven services
In today’s aerospace landscape, Customer Services play a critical role in ensuring fleet availability, regulatory compliance, and operational performance. As digital transformation accelerates, industry players are turning to predictive maintenance, advanced analytics and secure platforms to increase responsiveness and reduce downtime.
We support you in taking advantage of AI in Engineering and IT Services
With AI experts and a global community of AI-augmented engineers, ALTEN helps clients adopt AI responsibly and efficiently, combining innovation, sustainability and operational excellence. Our approach ensures optimized performance, seamless integration and secure deployment, delivering high-impact, AI-driven solutions tailored to engineering and IT challenges.
ALTEN’s functional sectors
- Mechanical, Aerodynamics & Thermal Design and Analysis
- Models, Studies, Calculations, Thermal, Aerodynamics
- Configuration Management
- Orbit determination & control
- Ground means engineering
- Verification & Validation
- Industrialization
- Space systems Design & Validation: Thermal & Mechanical,
Avionics, RF, Optical instruments AOCS - AIT: Procedures & Tests
- Flight Software: development & validation
- System & network administrator, DB
- Design infrastructure & IVV
- Space-Ground communication
- Preparation & Support of flight operations
- Data processing (scientific algorithms, infrastructure, valorisation)
- Test sequences, synoptics and tools development
Our Success Stories
Modular, flexible and competitive, the new European launcher is intended to nearly provide the best launch solution to businesses and institutions. As a historical partner of aerospace manufacturers, ALTEN actively participates in their development in various domains (structure, thermal, flight mechanical engineering, etc.).
ALTEN capitalizes on more than 25 years of know-how in preparations for the assembly, validation tests and final integration (before launch) of various satellites for CNES and other industrial customers.
To provide very-high-speed internet and customized services worldwide there are projects of constellations (hundreds/thousands of mini-satellites in a low orbit its commissioning soon . ALTEN is also involved on the mechanical design and thermal calculations for these small satellites.
There are many domains of application for Earth observation such as the environment, defense, geology, climatology, telecommunications, and IoT objects. ALTEN supports studies and development of the image processing chains for the satellite observation systems of a major player in the space sector.
Space mechanics: meet ALTEN’s teams!
Our engineers invite you with passion to enter their world and discover:
- Their professions: architecture, design, detailed analyses, integration, tests…
- Their fields of application: satellites, orbital infrastructures, launchers, rovers…
They even make a stop at Phobos, an enigmatic Martian moon, to give you a glimpse behind the scenes of a flagship CNES project in which ALTEN is involved: the MMX rover!
Fasten your seatbelts, imminent departure for space!
OUR CLIENTS
Space manufacturer & equipment supplier
Airbus D&S, Thales Alenia Space
Launch industry
ArianeGroup, United Launch Alliance…
Space agency
CNES
NewSpace
Hemeria, Absolut Sensing, Kinéis, Exotrail…
