SPUTNIX, a company in the SITRONICS Group, who is a subsidiary of Sistema JSFC, commissioned the first Russian assembly line for serial production of satellite platforms for small spacecraft. This production line is located in Skolkovo Technopark. The assembly line will produce OrbiCraft-Pro CubeSat platforms, designed by that company with sizes from 1U to 12U and weighing from 1 to 24 kg.
The production site is divided into a number of process areas depending on the degree of air purity required. There is storage of components, staff workplaces, functional testing area, and a clean room for finished spacecraft assembly and storage.
Thanks to the competent design of the production facility, SPUTNIX have implemented the concept of maximum localization of assembly and testing of products by their staff. The number of product movements is minimized, and the product is placed in a “clean zone”, which is a room where the concentration of aerosol particles is minimal. The site is designed with due consideration of the requirements for cleanliness, which are critical in the electronic industry.
Previously, the company performed custom assembly of satellite platforms. The capacity of the new site is about 30 completed spacecraft per year, which ensures the fulfillment of existing and new contracts signed by the company for 2022–2024.
“We plan to further expand the production of CubeSat format satellites, which complies with the SITRONICS Group’s plans to launch small spacecraft in the coming years for the development of various services based on satellite data. This will include operation of automatic identification systems in navigation, monitoring, and transmission of telemetry, remote sensing of the Earth and others,” said Nikolay Pozhidaev, President of SITRONICS Group.
A new approach to insulating technologies together with the optimization of assembly processes make it possible to reach the target output in a compact space with comfortable workplaces.
“The higher-level technological production will ensure the required volume of products and their high quality. This will have a positive impact on the success of new educational, technological, scientific, and commercial missions by CubeSat satellites,” said Vladislav Ivanenko, CEO of SPUTNIX LLC.
The site is currently in the process of assembling and testing already contracted satellites. Their launch is scheduled for the next year.
