Satellite company Aerospacelab opens first production site in US
Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab has inaugurated its first production plant in the US. The site near Los Angeles is a response to the growing needs of the institutional and military markets in the US, L’Echo reported on Tuesday.
The new plant has an area of 3,250m2 and will be able to produce an average of two satellites per week.
"Now more than ever, there is a need for mission-ready satellite systems to meet today's complex global challenges," Tina Ghataore, CEO of Aerospacelab North America, said in a press release. "We will be doing full builds and satellite operations for US customers, while building our own units in-house. It's quite remarkable what this will open doors to."
"There is a need for mission-ready satellite systems to meet today's complex global challenges"
In the fourth quarter of 2024, Aerospacelab will start assembling, integrating and testing its satellite system solution from US start-up Xona Space Systems. The company is developing a commercial service for positioning, navigation and synchronisation via a satellite constellation in low orbit, which will be able to replace current GPS systems.
Aerospacelab, based in Mont-St-Guibert in Walloon Brabant, was established in 2018, and gained a foothold in the US a year ago, opening offices in Palo Alto, California. It has already launched eight small satellites into space from the US, through American company SpaceX.
In May, it launched construction of what should become Europe's largest satellite factory in Charleroi.
Aerospacelab's site in Louvain-La-Neuve, January 2023 © BELGA PHOTO ERIC LALMAND
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