Capgemini and Ascendance to ‘accelerate sustainable aviation’
January 16, 2025
Capgemini and Ascendance are strengthening their strategic collaboration to advance the industrialisation of hybrid electric propulsion technology, accelerating the path to sustainable aviation.
This next phase of their partnership shifts focus from technology demonstrations to scaling production.
Founded in 2018, Ascendance is pioneering sustainable solutions for the aviation industry. Combining aircraft manufacturing expertise with hybrid electric propulsion innovation, the company is creating practical applications for regional transportation, medical services, logistics, and surveillance.
Their chosen approach, hybrid electric propulsion, offers an immediate and scalable path to reducing aviation’s carbon footprint, they say.
Since 2021, Capgemini’s engineering experts have supported Ascendance in areas like system engineering, flight physics, power systems, and battery development to prepare their technologies for certification.
Ascendance’s portfolio includes two groundbreaking innovations: STERNA, a patented modular hybrid propulsion system that integrates multiple energy sources simultaneously, and ATEA, a revolutionary VTOL aircraft powered by STERNA. Quiet and eco-friendly, ATEA offers a low-carbon alternative to helicopters. Its prototype is set to achieve its first flight in 2025.
To fast-track industrialisation, Capgemini will provide expertise in electric batteries, connected services, digital transformation, and scaling operations, reinforcing its commitment to empowering sustainable start-ups and driving a greener future for aviation.
“We are extremely pleased to expand our relationship with Ascendance. After a successful first phase to support their innovative product development roadmap, we are now pivoting from technology demonstrations to industrialisation. Together, with Ascendance’s hybrid modular propulsion system and Capgemini’s end-to-end capabilities in critical engineering disciplines, digital and business transformation, we are ready to accelerate and soon deploy decarbonised solutions at scale for the aviation industry,” said William Rozé, CEO of Capgemini Engineering and Group Executive Board Member.
“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Capgemini, together we have forged a strong relationship in recent years with many milestones achieved. Their expertise in engineering, data, and industrialisation is crucial to accelerating the commercialisation of our hybrid propulsion solution STERNA, and industrialisation of our aircraft ATEA. Together, we will contribute to making sustainable aviation more accessible, leveraging innovations that will reduce the carbon footprint of the aviation sector while offering new possibilities for the mobility of tomorrow,” said Jean-Christophe Lambert, CEO & Cofounder of Ascendance.
