THALES
15.2.2021 23:42:06 CET | Business Wire | Press release
On 18 February, the Perseverance rover — a key component of the Mars 2020 mission — will touch down on the Red Planet after a long seven-month voyage. SuperCam , one of seven strategic onboard instruments, is a powerful combination of technologies designed to analyse, characterise and select Martian rock samples. SuperCam is the result of close collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the United States and the astrophysics and planetology research institute in France (IRAP, CNRS / CNES / Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier), with contributions from the University of Hawaii and the University of Valladolid in Spain. The Mast Unit , the French part of SuperCam located at the top of the rover’s mast, was designed and built by a consortium of French laboratories1 from CNRS, universities and entities under the scientific lead of the IRAP team and under the responsibility of CNES, the French space agency. The laser supplied by Thales is a key part of the Mast Unit .
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210215005423/en/
In 2012, Curiosity landed on Mars equipped with the first high-power laser to operate on the surface of another planet, a laser designed and developed by Thales for the ChemCam instrument. The ChemCam laser has been operating faultlessly for over eight years and has fired close to 855,000 shots to date as Curiosity has made its 24-kilometre trek across the surface of the Red Planet. Data from ChemCam has already helped to prove that conditions on Mars were once suitable for microbial life.
The SuperCam instrument, a new and more powerful version of ChemCam, is designed to take Mars exploration to a new level. Like ChemCam, the SuperCam laser will use an infrared beam to heat material to a temperature of around 10,000°C and vaporise it — a method called laser induced breakdown spectroscopy. Coupled with a special camera, this makes it possible to determine the chemical composition of Martian rock samples by measuring the colours of light in the plasma created.
Unlike ChemCam, however, the SuperCam laser can also emit a green laser beam, which will help determine the molecular composition of surface materials. This green beam excites the chemical bonds in samples and produces a different signal according to their various linked components. This analysis technique, known as Raman spectroscopy, will be tested for the first time on Mars and will enable scientists to detect any markers of life. The green laser will also be used to induce fluorescence in mineral and organic compounds, allowing scientists to determine their constituent components with greater accuracy.
“We’re proud to have provided NASA with the first two lasers to operate on Mars. The Mars 2020 mission is a decisive step forward in the study of the Red Planet and preparations for future expeditions. SuperCam, the ‘eyes’ of Perseverance, is the result of close collaboration between partners across the international scientific community. Thales's SuperCam laser delivers unrivalled performance and will enable Perseverance to perform its exploration mission throughout its time on the surface of Mars.” Christophe Salomon, Executive Vice President, Land and Air Systems
About Mars 2020
The goal of the Mars 2020 mission is to study the Red Planet’s surface, search for signs of past life, take rock and dust samples at selected sites and store them for retrieval by the future Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which will be conducted jointly with the European Space Agency. Thales Alenia Space is closely involved in the MSR mission.
The Mars 2020 mission is designed to gather the necessary knowledge and test the technologies that will be vital for future human expeditions to the Red Planet.
How to produce oxygen from the Martian atmosphere? What resources are available? Is there water beneath the surface, for example? How to improve landing techniques and characterise weather conditions, dust levels and other environmental conditions that could affect the life and work of future astronauts on Mars? These are just some of the questions the Perseverance mission will seek to answer.
About Thales lasers
For more than 35 years, Thales has been a world leader in design, development and manufacturing of high energy nanosecond lasers for industrial applications and the most powerful ultra-short Ti:Sa femtosecond laser systems for leading scientific applications with peak power up to 10 petawatts.
Thales provides the most reliable and easy-to-use products, a unique combination of technological expertise and robustness for implementation into industrial applications that require highest availability such as laser annealing, laser lift-off, laser shock peening and cutting of composites for various industries such as aerospace, microelectronics, flat panel displays and many others. Thales provides also a full range of services, which are optimized to support each customer.
About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global technology leader shaping the world of tomorrow today. The Group provides solutions, services and products to customers in the aeronautics, space, transport, digital identity and security, and defence markets. With 83,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales generated sales of €19 billion in 2019 (on a pro forma basis including Gemalto over 12 months). Thales is investing in particular in digital innovations — connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity — technologies that support businesses, organisations and governments in their decisive moments. |
PLEASE VISIT
[1] The Irap ; the Laboratoire d’études spatiales et d’instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-PSL/CNRS/SU/Université de Paris) ; the Laboratoire d’astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB, CNRS/Université de Bordeaux) ; the Laboratoire « atmosphères et observations spatiales » (LATMOS, CNRS/SU/UVSQ) ; l’Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées (OMP, CNRS/IRD/Météo-France/Université de Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier) ; the Institut d’astrophysique spatiale (IAS, CNRS/Université Paris-Saclay).
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210215005423/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Navan Unveils New Ways to Book, Expense, and Travel at Navigate Europe 202615.10.2026 16:30:00 CEST | Press release
New capabilities deliver agentic travel and expense management in Slack collaboration software, expand global card issuing, and simplify guest reimbursement Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, unveiled a new set of capabilities and product updates at Navigate Europe, its flagship customer conference. The updates bring Navan into more workplace tools, expand card issuing to new currencies, and simplify guest reimbursement, all while giving businesses greater visibility and control. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015250476/en/ “Business never stands still. Our customers are constantly expanding and expecting more value, which is why we continue to innovate and elevate every part of the employee experience,” said Michael Riegel, Chief Customer Officer at Navan. “We’ve spent years building the global technology infrastructure and expertise to make travel and expens
FlightSafety International to Deliver New Embraer E190-E2 Full-Flight Simulator to Azul Brazilian Airlines15.10.2026 16:05:00 CEST | Press release
New simulator will support commercial pilot training at Azul’s training center in Brazil FlightSafety International Inc. (FSI), the global leader in aviation training and simulation technology, today announced an agreement with Azul Brazilian Airlines to design and manufacture a new Embraer E190-300 (E190-E2) Level D Full-Flight Simulator. Anticipated for delivery in late 2027, the simulator will expand Azul’s pilot training capabilities at its training center in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. “Our partnership with Azul reflects a shared commitment to advancing aviation training and safety,” said Michele Posey, Executive Vice President, Sales, FlightSafety International. “This new simulator will provide Azul pilots with a highly realistic training environment that supports the development of critical skills and prepares them for the demands of commercial flight operations.” “This new simulator represents another important investment in Azul’s operational excellence and long-term growth s
Sysco Awards Partner of the Year Award to Grid Dynamics15.10.2026 15:15:00 CEST | Press release
Key Takeaways: Sysco, a global foodservice distribution leader, named Grid Dynamics its Partner of the Year. Grid Dynamics was recognized for its efforts with AI initiatives at Sysco’s business operations. Grid Dynamics’ contributions spanned across product search and discovery, digital commerce, and engineering delivery. Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”) today announced that Sysco, the global foodservice distribution leader, has named the company its Partner of the Year. The recognition honors Grid Dynamics’ approach and expertise in bringing AI into Sysco’s technology and business operations. Sysco is the global leader in foodservice distribution, generating $84.6 billion in sales for its fiscal year ended June 27, 2026, and serving approximately 670,000 customer locations across 10 countries. The partnership began in 2024 with Grid Dynamics teams working alongside Sysco across product search and discovery, digital commerce, and AI-first software developme
The Outcome Economy at Work – New Research From Vertage15.10.2026 15:01:00 CEST | Press release
Outcome-ready businesses outperform on customer satisfaction, strategic delivery and speed to value – with a clear cultural edge; new Vertage research shows why, and how others can catch up Three in four enterprises (74%) define significant work around outcomes, but only 15% are ready to deliver it consistently, according to new global research from HR tech leader Vertage. These ‘outcome-ready’ enterprises report higher customer satisfaction (91% vs. 67%), stronger delivery of strategic goals (86% vs. 65%) and faster conversion of opportunities into value (85% vs. 64%). They also have a cultural edge: 69% of their employees understand their contribution and can adapt how they work, compared with 34% elsewhere. "AI adoption no longer separates strong businesses from the rest. Outcome readiness does," said Edzard Overbeek, Group CEO of Vertage. "The strongest businesses organize people, partners and AI around a clear result, and they keep human judgment at the center." The study, The Out
Introducing Ledger Atom™—Everything You Value, Finally Secure15.10.2026 14:45:00 CEST | Press release
Ledger Atom™ is a security and privacy device that runs your everyday apps, purpose-built to protect your most sensitive digital value, in a world where AI is challenging cybersecurity and authenticity at an unprecedented level. Ledger™, the global leader in secure infrastructure for digital ownership, today unveiled Ledger Atom™, a security and privacy device that runs your everyday apps, purpose-built to help protect your money, your AI agent approvals, and your privacy. The innovative architecture of Ledger Atom, leveraging Android™ open source alongside Ledger OS™, Ledger’s proprietary security-first operating system running on a secure element chip, allows you to approve sensitive actions in a secure environment while using all your everyday apps on a single device. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261015445765/en/ Ledger has launched Ledger Atom, a security and privacy device that runs your everyday apps,
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom