Airbus Friedrichshafen Lays Groundwork for New Satellite Hub

The hub will feature complex technology and equipment unique in Europe that enables various cleanroom classes to be operated in the central integration hall.

Aeronautics manufacturer Airbus has commenced an intensive construction phase on its new €43 million satellite hub – the Integrated Technology Centre (ITC) – at its site in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

With dimensions of around 70m x 60m and a roof height of 20m, the building will expand the site’s current satellite integration capabilities.

The center will begin operations in late summer 2018 and, when at full capacity, will allow up to eight large satellites to be integrated simultaneously.

The four-story ITC will have a partial basement and a footprint of 45,730 sq. ft. (4,250 m²). At the heart of it will be a central cleanroom.

Over 21,520 sq. ft. (2,000m²) in size, the central integration hall will enable the simultaneous construction of up to eight large satellites and integration of complex subsystems and payloads. This area can be operated in cleanroom Classes ISO 5 to ISO 8 without the need for partitioning into separate rooms.

The sophisticated ventilation system will enable particle reduction and help to prevent molecular contamination. The unique configuration of the ventilation system cuts operating costs by up to 70% compared to conventional system technology and enables cleanroom classes to be flexibly configured within the available space.

The two other wings of the building provide a further 10,760 sq. ft. (1000m2) of integration and laboratory space for component manufacturing and includes a large visitor area. The transitional area linking to the existing integration building will have material and employee airlocks as well as goods receipt control.

NASA's Johnson Space Center’s "Chamber A" in Houston

NASA's Johnson Space Center’s "Chamber A" in Houston is an enormous thermal vacuum testing chamber and now appears to be opening its "mouth" to take in NASA's James Webb Space Telescope for testing.

The telescope and the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM) are two of the three major elements that comprise the Webb telescope Observatory flight system and are being lifted into the chamber in this photo. The other is the Spacecraft Element (spacecraft bus and sunshield), which is currently under construction at Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) in Redondo Beach, CA.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. It was assembled in a Class 10,000 cleanroom at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency), and the Canadian Space Agency.

Cornish LEP in Bids to Build UK's First Spaceport

Cornwall’s bid seeks up to £10m of investment to upgrade facilities for a Spaceplane Systems Integration Facility comprising a hangar and cleanrooms

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) is in talks with four potential spaceport partners in an effort to capture a share of the £25bn global spaceflight launch market.

The UK Government has invited bids from potential spaceport launch sites and space vehicle system operators to establish the UK’s first commercial Spaceport by 2020.

Up to £10m is available to make the UK the first place in Europe where commercial space operators can launch small satellites into orbit and offer spaceplane flights for science and tourism.

The LEP is leading Cornwall’s bid to establish Spaceport Cornwall across two sites at Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly Earth Station. Together they offer a unique combination of horizontal launch, monitoring and tracking facilities.

Sandra Rothwell, chief executive of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly LEP, said: “Our aim is to create a high value space cluster around our Aerohub Enterprise Zone sites at Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly Earth Station.

“We are the only site able to offer low cost access to space by horizontal launch systems in the UK by 2020, with a complete end-to-end launch and tracking capability that will be internationally competitive. With the right support, working with industry and other LEPs, we are offering an operational spaceport to the UK Space Agency in the next three years, delivering a key part of the Government’s national space policy and Industrial Strategy ambitions.”

Cornwall’s bid seeks up to £10 million of investment to upgrade facilities at Cornwall Airport Newquay to make Spaceport Cornwall a reality. This would include a Spaceplane Systems Integration Facility comprising a hangar and cleanrooms to cater for satellite and future flight technologies.

The bid is being coordinated by Aerohub Enterprise Zone Manager Miles Carden at Cornwall Airport Newquay, who said: “The combination of Cornwall Airport Newquay and Goonhilly is very attractive to space vehicle operators which is why there is international interest in being part of our Spaceport Cornwall bid.

“We’re building on our existing assets to offer a complete and competitive launch solution for the commercial space industry, providing low cost access to space in an industry that is expected to be worth £25bn by 2020.”

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