Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales and Leonardo, has officially opened its new manufacturing facility, dubbed the Space Smart Factory, in Rome, Italy.
The manufacturing plant is situated within the Tecnopolo Tiburtino innovation hub, which hosts 150 companies. This new factory represents one of the largest digital and reconfigurable production sites for satellite manufacturing in Europe.
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It is equipped with advanced digital and robotic technologies, enabling the construction of a broad spectrum of satellites for various applications.
The inauguration of the factory was attended by Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Enterprises and Made in Italy Minister Adolfo Urso, among others.
The Space Smart Factory has the capability to produce more than 100 satellites annually, equating to approximately two every week. This output can be scaled up depending on market needs.
Thales Alenia Space president and CEO Hervé Derrey said: “Leveraging the latest technologies, the Space Smart Factory will enhance Thales Alenia Space’s production capacity and its global competitiveness as a leading player in Europe’s space industry. In that sense, our company will even more support European and national sovereign programmes as well as the continent’s major space ambitions, including in large constellations.”
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By GlobalDataAccording to Thales Alenia Space, the factory features modular cleanrooms and advanced digital tools. Its design allows for flexible reconfiguration to accommodate diverse production requirements.
The integration and testing capabilities cover a wide array of satellite types. These include those used for Earth observation, navigation, space telecommunications, and even automated vehicles and in-orbit servicing demonstrators.
The factory employs technologies such as digital twin models, virtual and augmented reality, integrated simulators, and advanced automation with robots and cobots.
Thales Alenia Space said that the assembly and integration areas of the factory have been completed.
The facility is set to increase production capacity at the Rome site significantly and is planning to hire additional skilled staff.
The first projects scheduled for integration in the new cleanrooms include the Sicral 3 defense satellite, Galileo constellation satellites, and Copernicus programme satellites like ROSE-L and CIMR.
The Space Smart Factory represents an investment exceeding €100m, supported by funds from the Italian Space Agency through National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) funds as well as substantial contributions from Thales and Leonardo.
Operations at the new hub are expected to commence by the end of 2025, starting with work on the Sicral 3 satellite for the Italian Defense Ministry.
