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World’s first satellite mass-production plant opened in the US

The new satellite mass-production facility

The new satellite mass-production facility

Photo by OneWeb Satellites

23rd July 2019

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Europe-based major aerospace group Airbus and US-based global Internet communications company OneWeb have announced that their joint venture, OneWeb Satellites, officially opened the world’s first-ever high-speed and high-volume satellite production facility on Monday. The facility is located at Exploration Park, in the US State of Florida. Exploration Park is located on land owned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, adjacent to the world-renowned Kennedy Spaceflight Centre at Cape Canaveral, on Florida’s ‘Space Coast’.

The new production plant will, for the first time, use industrial-scale mass-production techniques to manufacture satellites. Previously, satellites were effectively produced individually, requiring more than a year to assemble each one, at considerable cost (tens of millions of dollars).

In very sharp contrast, OneWeb Satellites will produce one satellite every production shift, or two each day. This will be possible because the new facility has two production lines.  This mass-production method will result in very considerable cost savings – about 98% in comparison to traditional satellite assembly techniques.

“OneWeb Satellites and its partners are transforming the satellite and space industry,” affirmed company CEO Tony Gingiss. “By producing high-quality satellites at a fraction of the cost and schedule of traditional manufacturers, we are not only enabling OneWeb to connect the planet, we are making space dramatically more accessible to everyone.”

Each OneWeb satellite will have a total mass of 150 kg and a payload mass of 60 kg. Each will be fitted with an electric propulsion (Hall-effect – a form of ion – thruster) system.

The satellites manufactured at the new facility will allow OneWeb to establish a constellation of, at first, 650 satellites (later expanding to 1 980) to provide global high-speed Internet connectivity. Currently, about 50% of the world’s population is not connected to the Internet, while people travelling by air and sea experience inconsistent Internet access.

“This is a defining moment in the history of OneWeb, and the space industry,” asserted OneWeb CEO Adrian Steckel. “With today’s [Monday’s] opening, we are one step closer to connecting the unconnected for the benefit of societies all over the world. As we gear up for more satellite launches at the end of the year, this facility will ensure that we can begin delivering global connectivity in some areas as early as next year and globally in 2021.”

“Airbus is manufacturing products in the US from all of our business divisions – commercial aircraft, helicopters and now satellites,” highlighted Airbus Americas chairman and CEO C Jeffrey Knittel. “We take seriously our partnerships in the communities where we do business, and we’re proud to contribute our aerospace manufacturing expertise to the Space Coast with 250 high-tech jobs in Florida.”

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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