Space travel is a part of our life. The German aerospace industry participates in successful and exciting space missions for the benefit of all people. Their technology enables applications from digital radio reception and broadband communication technologies to improved weather forecasts possible irrespective of borders including future flights to the moon or Mars.
High quality components from Jena are on board during such missions. The aerospace specialist Jena Optronik GmbH has achieved national and international success with innovative sensors and camera systems for satellites. This has also been made possible through the national sponsorship of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and the German Centre for Aeronautics and Space Administration which has enabled the astronauts in Jena to deploy their innovations on an international stage.
In the presence of the parliamentary state secretary Brigitte Zypries, German Federal Coordinator for Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Thuringian Minister for Economics, Science and the Digital Society Wolfgang Tiefensee, Jena Optronik GmbH ceremonially inaugurated its new development on 26th May 2015.
“Optical products from Jena enjoy a worldwide reputation! This success has not just happened by chance: The example of Jena Optronik shows how well and successful the coordination between researchers, developers and companies works in the region and what success is possible as a result. Thuringia and Jena have created a fantastic location and offer an innovation-friendly environment for Jena Optronik and many other high-tech companies” says Brigitte Zypries, the parliamentary state secretary.
Thuringia and Jena, the optical centre of Germany, have enabled the development of internationally successful products through the creation of their cooperative environment between research, science, universities and industries. The location offers a strongly future orientated technological foundation for Jena Optronik in an innovative environment – even beyond the borders of Jena in Thuringia.
“Jena Optronik is the public face of the high-tech location of Thuringia as it is the largest East German aerospace company” says Wolfgang Tiefensee, Thuringia’s economics minister. With its new development site the company has created the conditions required to build on its global position as a leading supplier of complex opto-electronic systems. “Jena Optronik is one of those hidden champions that are leaders in their respective areas and who substantially determine technological development internationally as a global leader in attitude control systems and sensors for satellites.” The Thuringia economics ministry supported the project with 4.5 million Euros in community project funds ‘improvements to the regional economic infrastructure’ (GRW).
Key figures of the construction project
In the past few years the aerospace company Jena Optronik GmbH, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space, has developed into one of the market leaders in the area of optical sensors for aerospace applications.
Aerospace products from Jena are deployed worldwide and contribute to the success of both important and spectacular missions.
Dietmar Ratzsch, chief executive of Jena Optronik: “The everyday in our work is the spectacular. Fascinating and exiting space missions for the benefit of the global population are possible thanks to technology from Jena. Furthermore our projects are the pacemaker for the region, but we also show that experience and quality from Germany can be successfully deployed internationally. The foundation was laid by the strategy for space of the Federal government.”
This development has been recognized by the Airbus Group as the parent company and it has confirmed its long-term commitment in Thuringia by establishing the new production and office buildings in the Jena21 technology park. The building project has created 40 new jobs in the aerospace industry for the Jena location.
The building project is supported by the Free State of Thuringia and co-financed by the European Union within the scope of the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) (Project Nr. 42160098, Registriation Nr. WW120077). The funding amounts to 4.5 million Euros.
The total investment by Airbus including the funds required for buildings specifically for the use of Jena Optronik amounts to 20 million Euros.
A group of building consisting of five components with a floor space of approx. 8,900 m² including a production and test area with approx. 2,000 m² of cleanroom facilities for 250 future employees was built after a construction period of 14 months.
“It gives me great pleasure and makes me very proud to see the outcome of our intensive work in its full beauty and size and be allowed to use it daily. I would now like to thank all those who have supported us - from the architect to the fence builder. A special thank you to our contractor and project partner, Airbus Real Estate and the planning team of HI-Bauprojekt as well as all staff involved who have been actively supporting the project along their normal tasks” says David Hahn, project manager for new building development of Jena Optronik GmbH.