Telespazio has been in the UK since 1978 and has offices in Luton and Harwell. Telespazio VEGA UK provides the British corporate and institutional market with innovative solutions and services across domain areas of: space engineering & operations; Earth observation; navigation; and fixed & mobile satellite communications. In addition, the company implements systems for the ground segment of satellite missions, and provides specialist consultancy to some of the major international space programmes.
Recent highlights include the release of the Climate Data Store, developed by the company as part of the European Commission’s Copernicus programme; and key launch authorisation software, used operationally since 2017 at Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.
VEGA UK is a subsidiary of the Leonardo group, which is one of the top ten aerospace, defence and security companies in the world. Leonardo itself makes a significant contribution to the economy of the UK, generating revenues of over £2bn each year and employing around 7,000 highly skilled people across six major sites in the UK.
“Today, it is with great pleasure that we celebrate the 40 years of our presence in the United Kingdom, a country that is very important to both Telespazio and the Leonardo Group,” said Luigi Pasquali. “Telespazio VEGA UK is committed to contributing to the growth agenda of the space sector in the country, in order to help capture 10% of the global market by 2030 leveraging a wealth of experience at the highest level, stemming from technological expertise acquired over 40 years of business practice in delivery systems, solutions and downstream services not only in the space market. Our aim is to fostering innovation and providing cutting edge technology to our customers”.
In his opening remarks Ambassador Trombetta stated, “Telespazio VEGA UK is a witness of the strong economic links between our two countries, and of the importance of the sector both for Italy and the UK. Today, more than ever, Telespazio contributes to innovation, transforming what once were just possibilities into services available to an ever wider audience”.
On the occasion, an exhibition was presented at the Italian Embassy, which includes eight spectacular, high definition, optical and radar satellite images. These make it possible to take a true virtual flight over the British Isles, highlighting some specific and very interesting features.
From left to right: Telespazio VEGA UK CEO, Marco Folino; the Italian Ambassador, Raffaele Trombetta; Leonardo’s Space Activity Coordinator and Telespazio CEO, Luigi Pasquali; Leonardo MW’s Director of Government Affairs, Andrew Cowdery