1. New York, 5 February 2014
Telespazio (Finmeccanica/Thales) and the Republic of Palau sign a partnership
agreement in environmental monitoring
Telespazio, a Finmeccanica/Thales company, one of the world’s leading operators in satellite
services, and the Republic of Palau, an island state in the Pacific Ocean, today signed a
Memorandum of Understanding in New York to work together in the Earth observation by satellite
sector.
The agreement - reached during the “Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals” at
the United Nations, tasked with developing proposals to define a set of sustainable development
objectives, including protecting the oceans and seas- is intended to promote measures for the
sustainable development of the region that includes the small Pacific islands and for the
management of natural resources.
The agreement was signed by Telespazio CEO Luigi Pasquali and Stuart Beck, the Republic of
Palau’s Ambassador for the Oceans and Seas, and Permanent Representative to the United
Nations. It will foster the development of environmental monitoring of the land and sea, paying
particular attention to the effects of climate change, the management of emergencies caused by
extreme weather conditions and maritime surveillance to ensure the compliance of fishing
operations, through the promotion and transfer of technology in satellite services and applications.
On 4 February, Telespazio and the Italian Space Agency took part in the “Healthy Oceans and
Seas: A Way Forward” forum, promoted by the United Nations to launch concrete initiatives to
protect the oceans and seas, also by using technology. The event, made possible thanks to Italy’s
Permanent Mission at the UN, enabled Telespazio and the Italian Space Agency to present to an
audience of heads of state and government, international institutions and organisations, the
environmental monitoring activities and geoinformation applications developed by e-GEOS, a joint
venture between Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency (20%), using the data of the
innovative Italian satellite constellation, COSMO-SkyMed.
Telespazio is one of the world’s leading providers in geospatial application services and solutions,
and conducts all activities relating to the Earth observation market: from acquiring and processing
satellite data to developing and selling software and products. The company is involved in the
major international Earth observation programmes including Copernicus and COSMO-SkyMed, the
Italian programme run by the Italian Space Agency, the Italian defence ministry and the Italian
ministry of education, universities and research, based on a constellation of four radar satellites
that can operate in any weather conditions.
Telespazio, a Finmeccanica/Thales 67/33 joint venture, is one of the world’s leading operators in satellite services. Its activities
range from the design and development of space systems to the management of launch services, from in-orbit satellite control to
Earth observation, from integrated communications, satellite navigation and localisation services to scientific programmes.
Telespazio plays a leading role in the reference markets harnessing technological experience acquired over the years. Since its
establishment, the company has participated in major European space programmes such as Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus and
COSMO-SkyMed. In 2012, Telespazio generated sales of EUR 562 million while employing approximately 2,500 people
worldwide.