When Old and NewSpace meets...

In the space sector, Avantis is beginning to earn a solid reputation. It particularly distinguishes itself by mastering the entire supply chain from A to Z and by being able to carry out on-site installations for clients. Today, the company serves some of Europe’s largest prime contractors—from the European Space Agency to CNES via Airbus Defence & Space in Toulouse. A significant part of its business is conducted with Thales Alenia Space, whose headquarters are located in Cannes La Bocca. As a consequence, Avantis looked to establish itself nearby and, in 2009, acquired a spacious building in Grasse. It is a real estate decision the company does not regret, as property is far less expensive inland than on the coast, with the Thales site only about twenty minutes away…

Grasse and Pégomas...

An indispensable back office for the Cote d’Azur’s space sector

The group has several sites across France, where it has established centres of expertise. The Grasse site is recognised as a benchmark in the space sector—a field in which it generates a significant portion of its turnover. The Grasse facility primarily houses offices where its teams design equipment, most of which is subsequently manufactured at Avantis’ 4,000 m² factory in Lot, located two hours from Toulouse.

The company designs several types of equipment for the space sector. Firstly, there are the MGSEs (Mechanical Ground Support Equipment)—machines that facilitate the assembly of satellites and enable all the qualification tests to be carried out. The company also designs flight components, which form an integral part of the satellite and are intended to remain in space.

The design of these tools and flight components starts from scratch in Grasse. A detailed specification serves as the basis for developing a concept that Avantis will then have confirmed by the client. The engineering team subsequently calculates and scopes this concept, ensuring that it fully complies with the brief.

The company also manages the highly demanding documentation phase. This task is becoming increasingly important in the space sector and now accounts for 35 to 40% of activities at Grasse. Once all this work is complete, the Grasse site can then hand over to the teams responsible for the manufacturing and quality control of the equipment.

Notably, within our department, Avantis also operates a large workshop in Pégomas, specialising in maintenance and after-sales services. This is a significant asset, particularly when dealing with Thales Alenia Space—a client who expects more than the mere delivery of equipment. The aim here is to keep the equipment operational for many years, and the Pégomas site is dedicated to both preventive and corrective maintenance, ensuring the reliability and safety of the equipment.

A solid reputation in MGSE

Over the years, Avantis has built an excellent reputation for the design and manufacture of MGSE—a broad term that covers all the ground-based equipment required for the assembly and testing of a satellite, or its parts. According to Alexandre Alati, Director of the Avantis site in Grasse: “Since 2004, we have delivered nearly 500 pieces of test equipment or tools and we are now established across every sector. We have completely mastered this field.”

One of Avantis' flagship products is the multi-purpose Trolley Dolly, with nearly 25 units delivered worldwide. This seven-tonne piece of equipment allows a satellite to be positioned in any direction for assembly. It is particularly reliable; early models delivered in 2004-2005 are still in operation today, twenty years later.

Avantis also manufactures tools to assist clients in producing composite flight panels or in carrying out specialised bonding processes. Other equipment is used to test satellites or subsystems, ensuring they can withstand the vibrations of launch and the extreme temperature fluctuations they will experience in space. Additionally, the firm provides large-scale equipment to verify the precise positioning of a satellite’s antennas—critical to ensuring that, once in orbit 36,000 km from Earth, the satellite correctly covers its intended country rather than a neighbouring one…

Flight components, the other major activity

While Avantis initially focused on designing and manufacturing ground support equipment for the space sector, it later expanded into flight components. This is a highly competitive market, but as an SME, Avantis is well-positioned to offer cost-effective solutions for small to medium-sized platforms and microsatellites to clients such as Thales Alenia Space. More flexible and agile than a large corporation, the company can provide lower-cost solutions with faster production times.

Today, its most notable achievement in this field is its contribution to the SWOT project—a hydrology and oceanography operation developed between CNES and NASA. Launched in December 2022, the SWOT satellite is designed to study ocean and surface water topography. For this mission, Avantis developed an entire satellite platform, a 2 metre by 2 metre, 800 kilogram cube housing all the satellite’s electronic equipment. This platform was delivered to Cannes, where it was assembled before Thales Alenia Space completed the final stages of the satellite’s construction.

For this project, Avantis formed a consortium with other local SMEs and specifically with Soditech, enabling them to deliver a fully integrated product to Thales Alenia Space.

Still in the field of flight components, Avantis also works on solar generator articulated joints, which allow satellites to capture energy in space and power all their electrical systems. These joints are essential for directing solar panels towards the sun to maximise energy efficiency. Avantis also manufactures telecommunication antennas, which are mounted on satellites to ensure reliable communication with Earth.

Broadening the direction...

In the years to come, the design and manufacture of flight components is expected to become increasingly significant in operations. As Alexandre Alati explains: “While MGSE remains a strong part of our business, it is no longer at the core of our growth strategy. We are now focusing on the next step with flight components because we see a real opportunity and added value in this area.”

At the same time, Avantis is looking to expand significantly in Research and Development, an area that is already yielding promising results. Its R&D laboratory in Toulouse has led to the development of new technologies, such as Stir Welding, a friction-based welding technique that is gaining traction in the space industry. Avantis is already engaged in a major project in this field with Airbus and is now working to convert Thales Alenia Space to this technology.

Avantis also aims to grow its presence in launch systems and NewSpace. The company has already produced a significant number of components for Ariane Group, including equipment for the new Ariane 6 rocket. In addition, Avantis is looking to capitalise on a new market, low-cost launchers, an initiative Europe is pursuing to compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. The company has already begun collaborating with startups such as MaiaSpace to develop agile and cost-effective launch solutions…