Aerospacelab Begins Construction on Largest Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Europe

Aerospacelab Begins Construction on Largest Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Europe

Aerospacelab, a fast-growing satellite manufacturer, broke ground on its future Megafactory marking a pivotal moment in its growth trajectory and laying the foundation for a facility which is poised to become Europe's largest satellite factory.

During a groundbreaking ceremony on May 16, participants included esteemed stakeholders including State Secretary Thomas Dermine, Minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder, Wallonia’s Vice President Willy Borsus, and The European Space Agency’s Head of Ventures and Financing Office. The groundbreaking commences the construction of the Megafactory, which is scheduled to begin manufacturing in 2026.

In the Megafactory, Aerospacelab will manufacture 150 kg to 1-ton satellites, with the capacity to produce up to 500 satellites a year. With 7,000 square meters of production area and 4,000 square meters of clean room, it will be the third largest satellite factory in the world. Since announcing the factory in 2022, the company has finalized its design plans and permits and mobilized a base of suppliers and contractors.

Aerospacelab’s CEO and Founder, Benoît Deper shared, "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. With this breakthrough, we are well on our way to address the needs of large constellations for both commercial and government customers on a global scale".

Grégoire Dupuis, Sambrinvest's CEO, added, "This first stone is the result of over 2 years of hard structuring work with Aerospacelab. It demonstrates our willingness to take the lead to enable high-impact projects for the region. We are proud to support Aerospacelab in its ambitious mission and its Megafactory project since the very first day. This will undoubtedly propel Charleroi and the European space sector to new heights.” 

Since announcing the factory in 2022, the company has finalized its design plans and permits, and mobilized a base of suppliers and contractors. 

Click here to learn more about Aerospacelab's Products and Solutions.

Publisher: SatNow
Tags:-  SatelliteLaunchGround

GNSS Constellations - A list of all GNSS satellites by constellations

beidou

Satellite NameOrbit Date
BeiDou-3 G4Geostationary Orbit (GEO)17 May, 2023
BeiDou-3 G2Geostationary Orbit (GEO)09 Mar, 2020
Compass-IGSO7Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)09 Feb, 2020
BeiDou-3 M19Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M20Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)16 Dec, 2019
BeiDou-3 M21Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M22Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)23 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 I3Inclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Nov, 2019
BeiDou-3 M23Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019
BeiDou-3 M24Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)22 Sep, 2019

galileo

Satellite NameOrbit Date
GSAT0223MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0224MEO - Near-Circular05 Dec, 2021
GSAT0219MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0220MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0221MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0222MEO - Near-Circular25 Jul, 2018
GSAT0215MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0216MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0217MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017
GSAT0218MEO - Near-Circular12 Dec, 2017

glonass

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Kosmos 2569--07 Aug, 2023
Kosmos 2564--28 Nov, 2022
Kosmos 2559--10 Oct, 2022
Kosmos 2557--07 Jul, 2022
Kosmos 2547--25 Oct, 2020
Kosmos 2545--16 Mar, 2020
Kosmos 2544--11 Dec, 2019
Kosmos 2534--27 May, 2019
Kosmos 2529--03 Nov, 2018
Kosmos 2527--16 Jun, 2018

gps

Satellite NameOrbit Date
Navstar 82Medium Earth Orbit19 Jan, 2023
Navstar 81Medium Earth Orbit17 Jun, 2021
Navstar 78Medium Earth Orbit22 Aug, 2019
Navstar 77Medium Earth Orbit23 Dec, 2018
Navstar 76Medium Earth Orbit05 Feb, 2016
Navstar 75Medium Earth Orbit31 Oct, 2015
Navstar 74Medium Earth Orbit15 Jul, 2015
Navstar 73Medium Earth Orbit25 Mar, 2015
Navstar 72Medium Earth Orbit29 Oct, 2014
Navstar 71Medium Earth Orbit02 Aug, 2014

irnss

Satellite NameOrbit Date
NVS-01Geostationary Orbit (GEO)29 May, 2023
IRNSS-1IInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)12 Apr, 2018
IRNSS-1HSub Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (Sub-GTO)31 Aug, 2017
IRNSS-1GGeostationary Orbit (GEO)28 Apr, 2016
IRNSS-1FGeostationary Orbit (GEO)10 Mar, 2016
IRNSS-1EGeosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)20 Jan, 2016
IRNSS-1DInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)28 Mar, 2015
IRNSS-1CGeostationary Orbit (GEO)16 Oct, 2014
IRNSS-1BInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)04 Apr, 2014
IRNSS-1AInclined Geosynchronous Orbit (IGSO)01 Jul, 2013