General Atomics Expands Space Systems Development Infrastructure
SAN DIEGO – 23 August 2021 - General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) announced today that it has expanded its space systems infrastructure with the addition of a 7,500 ft2 Class 10,000 / ISO 7 cleanroom facility in San Diego, CA that will enable high-volume Optical Communication Terminal (OCT) production. The multifaceted facility can facilitate fabrication of up to 300 OCTs per year.
“GA-EMS is fully committed to the deployment of optical communication as the backbone of future national security space architectures,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS. “Leveraging 20 years of experience developing multi-domain optical technologies, GA-EMS’ low SWaP-C OCT is technologically advanced and designed such that it allows for greater production efficiencies to support large scale satellite constellation programs. The combination of a mission focused, manufacturable OCT design and large-capacity development infrastructure, means that we can meet requirements and deliver hundreds of units every year on budget and on time.”
Over the last several years, GA-EMS has continued to invest in expanding its space systems capabilities with facilities in San Diego; Centennial and Englewood, CO; Huntsville, AL, Tupelo, MS; and Herndon, VA. In total, GA-EMS has more than 144,000 ft2 dedicated to space systems engineering, manufacturing, assembly, integration, test, and mission operations. In addition to hundreds of OCTs, these facilities can concurrently accommodate large-quantity fabrication of constellation-ready satellites ranging from CubeSats to ESPA-Grande class satellites.
“The GA-EMS OCT is easily integrated onto a variety of satellites providing customers with tremendous flexibility in platform configurations to drive costs down and meet mission objectives,” added Nick Bucci, vice president of Missile Defense and Space Systems. “In addition, the depth and diversity of our infrastructure allows us the agility to simultaneously support multiple programs of scale while maintaining the highest quality standards and deliver on schedule.”
About General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) Group is a global leader in the research, design, and manufacture of first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS’ history of research, development, and technology innovation has led to an expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions supporting aviation, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and processing and monitoring applications for critical defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide. For further information, visit www.ga.com/ems
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