ACS Thermal Vacuum Chamber HVT240K -170130 GN2 will contribute to the Space Smart Factory project by Thales Alenia Space.

It will be among the largest smart factories in Europe with its 21,000 sqm total, 5,000 sqm of reconfigurable clean rooms, 1,900 sqm of office and collaborative areas, and 1,800 sqm of industrial technical support areas.

Part of a system of interconnected space factories located in Italy, the Space Smart Factory will use advanced technologies to build satellites of different classes for different missions.

The center will be a true digital hub using technologies such as numerical modeling and Digital Twin, virtual and augmented reality techniques, integrated and supply chain-connected simulators, and high automation elements (robots/cobots) during all phases of satellite design, assembly, integration, and testing.

As part of this challenging and ambitious project, Angelantoni Test Technologies, a Thales Alenia Space partner for nearly 40 years in space simulation, will supply the Thermal Vacuum Chamber HVT240K -170130 GN2 model.

The TVC designed with Angelantoni Test technologies, with its 240 m³ of usable volume, will allow the qualification and vacuum acceptance tests of the entire portfolio of satellites built in Italy, including the largest and most complex up to 8 ton class.

Thanks to intensive coengineering work between Thales Alenia Space's technical team in Italy and Angelantoni's designers, the design of this new TVC is extremely flexible allowing numerous possibilities for satellite positioning, making test preparation and maintenance activities easy, optimizing execution times and ensuring the highest safety standards.

The Thermal Vacuum Chamber will be equipped with an innovative nitrogen gas thermoregulation system with 7 thermally independent zones. It is also configured to interface in plug & play mode with the digital backbone of the new Space Smart Factory, becoming an integral part of the digital asset management system.

It is an ambitious, all-Italian challenge that will cover both the construction phase and the installation and startup phase, considering the size of the facility and the complexity of all its subsystems. This will allow Thales Alenia Space Italia to double its test capacity from 2025, the year the new plant and the TVC itself will be commissioned.

The whole project is inspired by the principles of sustainable architecture with a focus on energy conservation and intensive use of renewable energy precisely through the use of digital technologies.

ABOUT THALES ALENIA SPACE

Building on more than 40 years of experience and a unique set of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space offers cost-effective solutions in the fields of Telecommunications, Navigation, Earth Observation, Environmental Management, Exploration, Science and Orbital Infrastructure. Both private and government industry rely on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite systems that provide connection and positioning anywhere and everywhere, monitoring of our planet, enhancing of its resources management, and exploration of our Solar System and beyond.

Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, enabling improvements and making life on Earth more sustainable. A joint venture Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space together with Telespazio also forms the strategic partnership "Space Alliance," which can offer a comprehensive set of services.