Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture of Thales and Leonardo, has signed a $30.7 million phase 1 contract with the European Space Agency, or ESA, to develop telescopes for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, or LISA, mission.
What Does the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna Contract Cover?
The agreement tasks Thales Alenia Space with leading the development of six telescopes for LISA’s three satellites, the joint venture said Tuesday. Acting as prime contractor, the company will handle design, assembly and testing activities. The telescopes will be built using Zerodur, a material selected for its low thermal sensitivity, which is required for precision measurements.
In addition, Thales SESO will support the effort by supplying optical components, including procurement, machining and polishing of mirrors and structural elements. The two organizations will jointly conduct telescope assembly, optics alignment and testing.
How Does the Contract Support the LISA Mission?
The telescopes developed under the ESA contract will be a critical component of the LISA mission. LISA is a space-based observatory designed to detect gravitational waves generated by cosmic events, such as the acceleration of massive objects. The mission will rely on three satellites, scheduled for deployment in 2035, that are spaced 2.5 million kilometers apart and connected by six laser beams. The beams will measure displacement at the picometer scale, supporting observations beyond the range of ground-based systems.
Previous Thanes Alenia Space Awards
This latest agreement follows two earlier contracts related to the LISA mission. In June 2025, Thales Alenia Space signed a contract with prime contractor OHB System AG to provide spacecraft avionics and control software, telecommunications and the drag-free and attitude control system. The company was later selected in January 2026 to supply the propulsion subsystem. The partnership between the two companies also builds on previous collaborations, including an agreement to develop the payload for the third Copernicus CO2 Monitoring mission satellite.
