PORTFOLIO
Orbital Satellite Manufacturing Facility
Dulles, VIrginia
Orbital Sciences Corporation is a leading edge developer of small, flexible and affordable rockets, satellites and other space technologies. The Orbital Satellite manufacturing facility (SMF) is the largest satellite plant in the Eastern United States.
This 65,000 square-foot facility houses all of the company's satellite manufacturing, assembly and testing activities. The facility supports production of innovative small satellites that are used in a wide range of low Earth orbit and Geostationary communications, remote imaging and scientific missions.
This design-build contract was completed in just 14 months. The SMF includes a 40,000 square-foot "High Bay" area with a class 100,000 clean space that houses a full suite of environmental test equipment used to simulate space and launch conditions. Process utilities, including steam and specialty gases, serve two separate class 10,000 clean rooms totaling over 12,500 square-foot.
A mission control area with three individual satellite mission control centers capable of controlling satellites during initial on-orbit operations and for long-term satellite control functions was constructed. Our team was responsible for installing computer room air conditioning systems to support the communications equipment. These systems were commissioned under rigorous performance tests due to the continuous operating environments.
