CANNES, France - Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announces the signing of a €26.1 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) for Phase 1 of the development of telescopes for the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission. Comprising three satellites, the LISA mission will be the first European space observatory capable of detecting and studying gravitational waves emitted by extreme cosmic events.
This new announcement follows the formalization of two other contracts related to the same mission. In June 2025, Thales Alenia Space announced a contract with the prime contractor, OHB System AG, for the supply of several key mission components, including avionics and satellite control software, the telecommunications system, and the Drag-Free and Attitude Control System (DFACS). In January 2026, the company was also selected by OHB System AG to supply the propulsion subsystem.
In France, Thales Alenia Space and Thales SESO®, responsible for the development of the optical payload telescopes, will make a major contribution to the LISA mission.
Building on its globally recognized expertise in the design and manufacture of advanced optical technologies, Thales Alenia Space has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to carry out Phase 1 of the development of the six telescopes for the LISA mission, which will potentially unfold in three phases. As prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space will be responsible for the development, design, assembly, and testing of the telescopes. The construction of the six telescopes, made entirely of Zerodur, will present an unprecedented technological challenge.
Only the combined design and manufacturing expertise of Thales SESO® and Thales Alenia Space, along with the very low sensitivity to thermal environments of Zerodur®, will make it possible to achieve the (picometer) stability required by the LISA mission. Under this first development contract, Thales Alenia Space will be able to rely on the long-standing expertise of Thales SESO, the leading European supplier of ultra-lightweight Zerodur mirrors.
Thales SESO will be responsible for the procurement, machining, and polishing of the optics and structure. Furthermore, telescope assembly, optics alignment, and environmental and performance testing will be jointly managed by Thales Alenia Space and Thales SESO.
With over 200 Zerodur mirrors manufactured and currently in orbit, Thales SESO® is among the world leaders in optical surface precision achieved through polishing, with a precision of 0.2 nanometers achieved on the 230 mm diameter surface of the mirrors destined for Virgo (the European ground-based gravitational wave detector), an invaluable level of precision for the LISA mission.
