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Spectrum Astro's Factory of the Future Goes Operational
Gilbert - Feb 20, 2004 Spectrum Astro, a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance satellites for space missions, announced today that its all-new satellite manufacturing and test facility is operational and ready for business. Called the "Factory of the Future," this state-of-the-art facility is designed to manufacture America's most important space missions cost-effectively, while minimizing risk during the production process. W. David Thompson, President and CEO of Spectrum Astro, stated, "This new factory gives Spectrum Astro the facilities required to manufacture and test the largest satellites and to bring our proven efficiencies to all levels of space programs." Located on an 80-acre site in Gilbert, Arizona less than two miles south of its corporate headquarters, Spectrum Astro's factory incorporates the latest technologies for the production of satellites. The factory encompasses more than 135,000 square feet of assembly, integration, and test space that can accommodate the production of more than twenty satellites simultaneously. The building consists of multiple clean room integration and test areas, including a 14,400 square foot assembly bay. In addition the factory contains world-class, leading edge testing facilities that simulate a variety of environmental conditions encountered in space. These include an Acoustic and Vibration chamber that can test up to space shuttle-class satellites. Other test facilities include state-of-the-art, systems level thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, static load, and modal test systems. Spectrum Astro's new factory is designed to reduce the risks associated with the manufacturing of space vehicles. Assembly, integration, and test areas are located in the same building and on the same floor level. Satellites can easily move from assembly bays to environmental test chambers using air- bearings or carts, reducing the handling and eliminating the need to ship satellites to alternate facilities to test. The arrangement of the test facilities with the integration bays also enhances productivity and reduces cycle time for satellite integration and test. The "Factory of the Future" is loaded with efficiencies designed to lower the cost of satellite production. It utilizes an integrated building control and management system that manages lighting and HVAC functions throughout. This system monitors and trends critical systems allowing maintenance to be predictive instead of preventative, reducing maintenance and repair cost. All motor drive systems from compressors to air handlers are on Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) which allows these systems to use only the utility required to meet the load being used, eliminating wasted energy cost. The building uses a large chiller system with a VFD drive and a plate-in-frame heat exchanger that takes advantage of low cost evaporative cooling. All lighting is high efficiency lighting with various lighting level options reducing lighting operational cost. All areas of the factory have efficiency designed into them from the roofing material to the layout of the bays. The general contractor for the project is Joe E. Woods, Inc. and the architect is Deutsch Associates. Spectrum Astro is currently involved with several government projects intended to enhance national security, civil and space programs. The company is the prime contractor for NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) and Swift satellite programs and the Department of Defense Space Test Program's Coriolis and Communication/ Navigation Outage Forecasting System (C/NOFS) satellites. In addition, Spectrum Astro is a major subcontractor on the Northrop Grumman industry team for the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) for the Missile Defense Agency and is also on Lockheed Martin's industry team competing to design and build the next generation of Global Positioning System satellites called GPS III. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Spectrum Astro SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express The latest information about the Commercial Satellite Industry
Stratos Steps Closer To Xantic Acquisition
Bethesda MD (SPX) Jan 5, 2006Stratos Global recently announced it had taken a step closer toward the completion of the acquisition of Xantic, having received positive advice from the Works' Council in the Netherlands, and executed a definitive agreement to purchase Xantic from KPN and Telstra Corporation. |
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