The Italian company Argotec has officially opened its first satellite manufacturing plant in the United States, establishing a presence near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, to join other foreign space companies, who seek to meet the growing demand for American programs. During a public event 2 in April, the company promised to triple the number of its employees in the United States (now close 20 persons) for two years. This is part of the investment over 25 millions of dollars, which complement the general team of approx 300 persons in Italy, Germany and the USA.
Production facility area 465 of square meters is designed for simultaneous assembly and integration of over 10 of Argotec small satellites in highly elliptical orbit (HEO). In the long term, the capacity will enable the production of one spacecraft per month based on the recently announced Hawk Plus modular platform.
"US investors are actively financing the expansion of space capabilities, - said the CEO of Argotec in the USA, Corbett Henninger (Corbett Hoenninger) in an interview with SpaceNews, — courtesy of NASA, and the US Department of War". Henninger pointed to the evolution of NASA's focus from simple research to ongoing activities on the Moon (following the recent launch of Artemis 2), as well as the government's proposed Golden Dome missile defense initiative, as key drivers of demand for space-based communications and surveillance infrastructure.
"To meet this need, The US will need many reliable suppliers, which will not only deliver products on time, but also have 100 percent successful missions", he said. Argotec began expanding its presence in the US with an initial expansion of production at its Florida plant last June, when it produced its first HEO satellite for the Italian government's IRIDE Earth observation program, which is funded by post-pandemic recovery programs.
Although IRIDE is designed to strengthen the Italian space industry, refueling and other final stages of satellite processing are carried out in Florida before launch from the East Coast (Space Coast). Argotec is building its portion of the IRIDE satellites at the SpacePark facility 17 000 square meters in Turin (Italy), which was opened in 2024 year, and then sends them to Florida.
Eight IRIDE satellites from Argotec are already in orbit, and the company is working on seven more. Another batch of 10 satellites must be completed and launched to completion 2026 year. Italian companies are also involved in the creation of space technology: Thales Alenia Space, OHB Italy, Sitael and D-Orbit.
Henninger noted, that the new Argotec plant also supports the first and so far only direct mission for an American customer, the MiniCOR (Miniature Coronagraph). Critical review of the project (critical design review) scheduled this month. Argotec provides the satellite platform for MiniCOR, on which a miniature coronagraph will be placed, developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). The device is designed to observe the Sun's corona.
"The goal is to show, that valuable scientific information can be collected using miniature versions of large sensors, thereby reducing the cost of the mission from billions of dollars to about 10 millions", Henninger explained.
Based on the experience of satellites, developed for IRIDE, Argotec states, that the Hawk Plus platform will become central to its strategy both in Europe, as well as in the USA, with production in both regions. "Hawk Plus is a revolutionary breakthrough due to its modularity and flexibility", Henninger said. Although satellite platforms are increasingly standardized, sensors and propulsion systems typically vary by mission.
The Hawk Plus platform uses modular panels, which allow suppliers to integrate components just prior to final assembly, reducing the need for redesign. "This flexibility helps us reduce the time from signing a contract to delivering a spacecraft from years to months.", Henninger noted.
British company Space Forge has also recently opened operational facilities near Kennedy Space Center to develop space-based semiconductor manufacturing. Last year, India's Bellatrix Aerospace announced plans to establish a presence in the US for better access to government orders and launch infrastructure.
Source: https://spacenews.com