Editorial

With the surge in new digital technologies and New Space, many applications served by space—like for example the environment, telecommunications, transport, mobility and healthcare—are undergoing deep transformations. At a time when new public and private players are coming onto the scene and we are facing major social, scientific and national sovereignty challenges, Europe remains steadfastly in the world’s top three space powers, behind the United States and very often ahead of China.

France has historically played a driving role in this European success story, through a particularly vibrant space sector in which CNES shapes and irrigates research and industry.

Thanks to a proactive industrial policy pursued over the course of more than half a century and sustained by targeted government investments, our nation has built a competitive high-tech space industry providing jobs and a broad palette of skills, spanning large primes, mid-tier firms and numerous SMEs and start-ups. This industry today supports tens of thousands of highly skilled jobs directly connected to space, accounting for more than a third of all jobs in Europe and nearly half of European space sector revenues.

CNES is pleased to publish this catalogue of French space industry capabilities. It is designed to promote the French ecosystem and to encourage partners at home and abroad to “think France”, thus helping our manufacturers to succeed in export markets. With more than 250 firms already listed and its online skill search feature, the catalogue is a unique sourcing tool to find the expertise or development capabilities you are looking for.

Together, we space agencies, research laboratories and industry contractors are inventing the future of space!

Philippe Baptiste, CNES Chairman & CEO, 15 February 2024

To contact our team by e-mail: catalogue.industrie[at]cnes.fr