Atos wins a six-year contract with CNES to provide spatial computing and engineering services

PARIS, September 7, 2023 — Atos today announced the extension of a six-year framework agreement to provide space computing and engineering services to France’s Center National for Space Research (CNES). CNES has selected Atos to lead one of five French and European consortia contributing to its various civil, scientific and military programs under the Ingénierie Bord et Informatique Spatiale (IBIS) framework agreement.

Atos has partnered with Ausy, Clemessy (Eiffage Group), Epsyl (Alcen Group), Geo4i, OHB, Serco and Terma to form a consortium that meets CNES’s goal of strengthening the role of engineering technology digital in its innovation strategy while encompassing all its technical, functional and business domains. The members of the consortium, led by Atos, are experts in the space industry and participate in major European programs in this field.

Atos’ expertise in managing large projects, technology integration capabilities and 20 years of cooperation with CNES, combined with the business know-how of its partners, will also be applied to industrial design and IT operations of ground and onboard segments. is the communication resource between these two segments.

The ground part manages the satellite, adjusts the orbit and receives observation data. The Atos-led consortium will provide expertise in the design, maintenance and operation of these systems. The on-board segment provides the on-board perimeter of the satellite with facilities that transmit data to the ground. The consortium will be involved in engineering and testing of both ship-based and ground-based systems.

Space expertise is delivered from Toulouse, the European Space capital, by teams located at the center of excellence of Atos Technology Services and its partners.

To take advantage of the group’s complementary capabilities, Atos has developed a collaborative innovation approach supported by a network of R&D centers and Inno’Labs in France, as well as the innovation centers of its partners. work. Other members of the consortium will be able to draw on Atos’ expertise to integrate digital technologies to optimize their business solutions.

For example, one of the innovation programs the team was tasked with was improving satellite data processing and transmission capabilities. As high-performance onboard satellite equipment generates increasing volumes of data, transmitting this data to the ground becomes increasingly complex. The mission of Atos, an artificial intelligence (AI) specialist, and its partners is to equip satellites with onboard AI technology to perform further upstream data processing. This reduces the amount of data transmitted and maximizes the use of limited bandwidth.

“New technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation are leading to innovations that revolutionize the industrial and digital models of the space industry. Together with Atos and its partners, CNES is making the most of these advancements, helping our ecosystem grow, strengthening our sovereignty and competitiveness, and promoting innovation. The emergence of new services allows the space industry to confirm its leading position in France and Europe.” said François Sillion, director of technology and digital at CNES.

“Atos and its partners are proud to contribute to CNES’s strategic missions in the civil and military sectors. CNES can count on a group of European leaders with diverse expertise to strongly support CNES in meeting the transformation and development needs of the space sector. For example, introducing AI as a vector of digital transformation is a major challenge, and Atos’ expertise in this area will allow CNES to open up many possibilities, with the challenge of maintaining national and European sovereignty Europe in sensitive application areas of this technology,” said Stéphane Richard, director of Technology Services, Atos.

CNES is a public institution responsible for shaping and implementing French space policy in Europe. The agency designs satellites, puts them into orbit, and invents the space systems of tomorrow, and drives the deployment of new and practical services every day.

Founded in 1961, CNES leads large-scale space, launcher and satellite projects, serving as a leading industry partner to drive innovation. Supported by a team of 2,400 passionate employees, CNES is helping to develop innovative applications guided by four strategic ambitions: national sovereignty, science, economic efficiency and climate.

CNES is at the forefront of technological innovation, economic development and French industrial policy. Finally, the agency strives to build scientific partnerships, often collaborating at the international level. Thanks to CNES, France is one of the main contributors to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Introducing Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with 107,000 employees and annual revenue of c. 11 billion euros. Europe’s leader in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides comprehensive solutions tailored to all industries in 69 countries. As a pioneer in decarbonization products and services, Atos is committed to providing secure and decarbonized digital solutions to its customers. Atos is SE (Societas Europaea) and is listed on Euronext Paris.

Source: Atos