Beyond Gravity is contemplating an expansion of its solar array drive mechanism production capabilities in Florida. This move aims to bolster support for the Golden Dome initiative and other U.S. space endeavors. This consideration follows a doubling of their manufacturing space in Europe for hardware that ensures satellites remain optimally oriented towards the sun.
The Zurich-based space systems provider announced on October 15th that an expansion to 225 square meters of cleanroom space in Switzerland has resulted in a fivefold increase in production capacity. This enables the company to produce 200 mechanisms annually, addressing the escalating demand for independent constellations within Europe. "This year alone, we have already delivered more units than in the past three years combined," stated Oliver Grassmann, Beyond Gravity’s executive vice president of satellites.
Grassmann attributed the European demand to IRIS², Europe’s envisioned independent multi-orbit broadband network, and other planned constellations designed to strengthen regional autonomy. In the United States, Beyond Gravity serves domestic space primes from a 2,000-square-meter facility in Titusville, Florida. The company anticipates a surge in demand related to Space Development Agency constellation initiatives and Golden Dome, the nation’s multibillion-dollar missile defense program.
According to Grassmann, the company possesses an additional 2,000 square meters of reserve space at the Titusville site, conveniently located near Cape Canaveral. "In Titusville, we have highly automated our manufacturing and are able to achieve similar efficiency gains like in our newly expanded cleanroom in Switzerland," he told SpaceNews.
Beyond Gravity provides various solar array drive mechanisms for spacecraft, ranging from microsatellites to large Earth observation and telecommunications platforms. Their clientele includes NASA’s Artemis lunar program and the European Space Agency’s Hera planetary defense mission, which was launched in October 2024.
Meeting Demand
The rising significance of space capabilities, evolving market dynamics, and the broader industrialization of satellite manufacturing are prompting Beyond Gravity to accelerate the production of solar array drive mechanisms. "We expect satellite lifespans to be shorter than in the past due to the prevalence of constellations," Grassmann noted, highlighting a broader shift towards high-volume manufacturing to support rapid replacement and upgrade cycles.
Beyond Gravity is also developing a modular two-axis solar array drive mechanism engineered to allow solar wings to continuously track the sun in multiple directions. This enhances power generation amidst the rapidly changing lighting conditions of low Earth orbit. The company states that this system can be integrated with their existing single-axis products.
According to Alexandra Isele, vice president of mechanical satellite solutions at Beyond Gravity, one of the primary challenges in space missions is ensuring a consistent power supply to satellites and spacecraft. She explained that the performance of photovoltaic modules can vary considerably based on the type of solar cell and technology, with specialized multi-junction cells used in space achieving approximately 30% efficiency. "By continuously adjusting the solar panels to face the sun, our mechanisms can significantly enhance this efficiency," she added. "While standard commercial photovoltaic modules typically have an efficiency of around 15-20%, our mechanisms can help achieve efficiencies of up to 50%."
Isele also mentioned that the mechanisms enable satellites to achieve maximum power output from smaller solar panels. "Without solar array drive mechanisms, solar panels would need to be significantly larger, leading to higher production and launch costs," she said.
Beyond Gravity, already a supplier of a two-axis solar array drive mechanism for the NASA Artemis Orion crew capsule, anticipates making its new modular system available for orders by mid-next year, pending further testing.