Airbus Expands in Merritt Island

November 20, 2024 – Airbus U.S. Space & Defense Satellite factory is scheduled to complete an expansion project by mid-2025 in Exploration Park at Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island. A prime contractor for Northrop Grumman, building satellites for the Space Force Space Development Agency, Airbus is retooling production as part of a new military constellation of optically interconnected satellites in low-Earth orbit.

OneWeb Satellites is a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb that was formed in 2016 to design and manufacture satellites for the OneWeb constellation. In the process, OneWeb Satellites has revolutionized satellite manufacturing by being the first to utilize commoditization and mass production techniques to dramatically reduce production times and costs.

Image Credit: Airbus

The $85 million expansion project adds more than 50,000 square feet to the 142,000-square-foot-facility. Airbus is expected to employ 200 technicians when fully built out.

Source: Florida Today ; Airbus