Aerospacelab broke ground on a new factory in Charleroi, Belgium. Photo: Aerospacelab

Belgian small satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab broke ground on a new factory this week that it says will be capable of producing 500 small satellites per year. The new factory, located in Charleroi, Belgium, will open in 2026. 

With 7,000 square meters of production area and 4,000 square meters of clean room, Aerospacelab said it will be the third largest satellite factory in the world. Belgian leaders including State Secretary Thomas Dermine and Minister of Defense Ludivine Dedonder attended the groundbreaking.

“This marks not only the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Aerospacelab, but sets the satellite industry on a new course in its supply base. With this breakthrough, we are well on our way to address the needs of large constellations for both commercial and government customers on a global scale,” commented Aerospacelab’s CEO and founder Benoît Deper.

Aerospacelab was founded in 2018 and has deployed eight satellites to orbit. The company recently launched four satellites on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 mission and signed a deal to manufacture a navigation satellite for Xona.