Italian smallsat manufacturer Argotec has opened its new headquarters and manufacturing facility, SpacePark. The opening was attended by regional and national officials, including Adolfo Urso, minister for enterprises in the Italian government, and Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian space agency ASI.
Argotec renovated an old spaceship-shaped building designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer for its headquarters. The company spent €25m ($27 million) renovating the building, adding clean rooms and mission control centres. Moreover, 1,200 square metres of the building have been set aside for a SpacePark HUB that will be used as an accelerator for startups developing technologies that Argotec could use for its spacecraft.
SpacePark is designed to produce up to one satellite a week. That capacity will initially support projects like IRIDE, an Earth observation constellation funded by the Italian government. The new facility will allow the company to increase its production rate while it looks at new business opportunities in Europe and the United States.
Add Comment