Center of excellence

Space

A veritable melting pot of innovation and expertise for several decades, Toulouse brings together the main players in the space industry and has established itself as the European capital of the sector, recognised internationally.

Toulouse brings together the entire space industry value chain. Research, innovation, production: this is where the technologies that shape the future are born. Supported by cutting-edge infrastructure, talent trained in schools and universities of excellence, and an economic fabric resolutely focused on tomorrow, Toulouse is not only focused on space… it is the capital of space.

16,000

jobs

1^st

France’s number one region for jobs

1/4

of European jobs

World-renowned institutions

Toulouse is home to a large number of major institutions in the space sector.
The CNES (Centre national d’études spatiales), France’s space agency, has 1,700 employees in Toulouse. It develops and implements the national space programme. With a budget of over €3 billion in 2024 – the largest in Europe – part of which is dedicated to the ESA (European Space Agency), CNES participates in international projects such as Rosetta, Curiosity, Perseverance, the International Space Station (ISS) and the Artemis agreements.

Since 2019, the sector has also taken on a military dimension with the creation of the Space Command, followed by the NATO Space Centre of Excellence, which moved to Toulouse in 2023. Very recently, the BA101 base also became France’s first space base.

Other leading players are also based in Toulouse:

Météo-France, the national weather forecasting centre
Mercator Océan, specialising in ocean monitoring
ESSP (European Satellite Services Provider), which deploys EGNOS-Galileo applications
MEDES, centre of expertise in space physiology

The ESA has its ESA BIC Sud France incubator in Toulouse, dedicated to supporting innovative start-ups in the space sector.

Toulouse, a key base for industrial giants

Toulouse is home to the main sites of major European industrial groups in the space sector.
Airbus designs and integrates telecommunications, Earth observation and scientific satellites there.

Thales Alenia Space also designs satellites and equipment there.

The “Ville rose” is also home to companies that own constellations or operate in-orbit assets: Kineis, Loft Orbital, Infinite Orbits, Exotrail, Absolute Sensing, Astroscale and Univity.

Toulouse also has a strong network of specialised SMEs, including Hemeria (platform and equipment manufacturer), U-Space (which has opened a mass production plant for nanosatellites), Anywaves (antennas for nanosatellites), Comat (mechanisms for space applications) and ACTIA (electronics). This industrial network covers the entire value chain: satellite and instrument construction, on-board equipment, on-board and ground software, etc.

In addition to the industrial sector, numerous players are improving uses (Telespazio, CS-Group, Agenium, Look-up Space, Aldoria) and developing space applications (Magellium, Gisaia, Terranis).

Many other manufacturers are present in Toulouse, so please do not hesitate to contact us to identify partners specific to your activities.

An ecosystem conducive to R&D

Laboratories

ONERA (National Office for Aerospace Studies and Research),
TESA (Space and Aeronautical Telecommunications),
IRAP (Institute for Research in Astrophysics and Planetology),
LAAS (Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems),
CESBIO (Centre for Space Studies of the Biosphere),
CIRIMAT (Interuniversity Centre for Materials Research and Engineering)

Clusters

Aerospace Valley

Club Galaxie

Training programmes

ISAE – SUPAERO: Aeronautical engineering (design, construction, airworthiness)
IPSA: School of Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility Engineering
ENSEEIHT: Electronic, Mechanical and Telecommunications Sciences
INP-ENSIACET: Chemical and Materials Engineering
University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier (regularly ranked in international statistics in aerospace subjects).
ENM: National School of Meteorology
Air and Space Academy
Sirius Chair: Space Institute for Research on Innovative Uses of Satellites, leads a team of researchers in management sciences and law applied to the space sector
CSUT: Toulouse University Space Centre

Testing equipment

clean rooms
vibration test bench
vacuum thermal chamber
anechoic chamber…

Innovation

Campus Aerospace

Close to academic institutions, businesses and research laboratories, Toulouse Aerospace is an area dedicated to innovation. This cutting-edge technology campus brings together some of Europe’s most important R&D sites, at the heart of a modern and attractive eco-neighbourhood.

Campus Aerospace

#ChooseToulouse

Space and innovation: Toulouse attracts businesses

Discover testimonials from companies that have chosen to base their space activities in Toulouse. As the European capital of aeronautics and space, Toulouse offers a unique ecosystem for investing, innovating and developing your business.

#ChooseToulouse

Loft Orbital

#ChooseToulouse

Infinite Orbits

#ChooseToulouse

Pangea

#ChooseToulouse

AIKO

Want to develop your business in the space sector?

Join a dynamic ecosystem where innovation, expertise and industrial networks come together. Toulouse offers a unique environment for creating, testing and deploying your projects. Our cutting-edge infrastructure, skilled talent and strategic partnerships will enable you to grow quickly and efficiently.