Belgian-based Aerospacelab has broken ground on a satellite manufacturing megafactory that, once operational, will be capable of producing up to 500 satellites a year.
The new facility is being built in Charleroi, 70 kilometres south of Brussels and 40 kilometres from the company’s existing factory in Ottignies-Louvain-La-Neuve. It will feature 7,000 square metres of office space, 7,000 square metres of production area, and 4,000 square metres of clean room. The factory will also offset its energy consumption with renewable energy through 700 solar panels.
“This marks not only the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Aerospacelab but sets the satellite industry on a new course in its supply base,” said Aerospacelab founder and CEO Benoît Deper.
Aerospacelab announced its plan to build its new megafactory on 14 June 2022. That same year, the company completed the purchase of two hectares of land in the heart of Charleroi where the facility will be built. It then received building permission in late 2023 and officially broke ground on 16 May. The groundbreaking ceremony included participation from the European Space Agency’s Head of Venture and Financing Office, Gianluigi Baldesi.
According to the company, once the facility is completed in 2026, it will be the third-largest satellite manufacturing facility in the world. Aerospacelab plans to use the facility to build satellites weighing between 150 and 1,000 kilograms.
When the construction of the new facility was announced in 2022, Deper explained that Aerospacelab took cues from the automatic industry when developing its new production facility.
“We’ve been inspired by the automotive industry where standardized products still have the possibility to be adjusted to specific needs,” explained Deper. “We are setting up satellite manufacturing plants, with production lines using ‘off-the-shelf’ components and specific instruments when needed.”
