Thales: new welding bench for space modules

(CercleFinance.com) - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has announced the inauguration of a new friction stir welding (FSW) bench at one of its plants in Turin, Italy.


The process - which Thales Alenia Space is the only company in Europe to use - will double the production capacity of pressurised modules, which will in particular be used for future orbital and surface infrastructures, the company says.

The new bench employs an innovative welding process offering greater processing precision, increased mechanical strength, energy savings and reduced production costs and times.

Thanks to this new investment, Thales Alenia Space will improve the production of pressurised modules, including those for the three main components of the future Lunar Gateway orbital station - I-HAB, ESPRIT and HALO - the two modules of the first commercial space station designed by Axiom Space, and the modules of the Cygnus cargo ship, which has been crucial for the safe resupply of the ISS since 2013.


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