Satellite Networks

NSS opens Africa’s largest commercial space hardware manufacturing facility

Late last week saw the opening of what is described as the largest commercial space component and sub-systems manufacturing site on the African continent.

NewSpace Systems (NSS), a leading multinational spacecraft systems manufacturer and Africa’s largest exporter of space-utilised hardware, officially opened its new 5,200 square metre manufacturing hub in Somerset West, South Africa last Thursday.

The purpose-built facility is designed to meet the high-volume production requirements of modern satellite constellations. NSS currently supports the majority of commercial spacecraft manufacturers globally.

Since breaking ground on the advanced facility in October 2024 the company has focused on scaling its guidance, navigation and control (GNC) product lines.

Its growth has been fuelled by the rapid expansion of low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations. The company’s products, ranging from sun sensors to reaction wheels, currently fly on spacecraft weighing up to six tons.

As well as its vast footprint, the new Somerset West hub features a 1,260 square metre state-of-the-art Cleanroom that is ISO 14644-1 certified; a 120 square metre dedicated engineering lab for R&D; Helmholtz coil calibration areas for magnetically sensitive hardware; dark rooms for optical testing; thermal/vibration testing zones; and assembly lines for repeatable, high-precision manufacturing.

Following the successful opening of phase one, NSS, which is headquartered in South Africa with offices in the US, UK and New Zealand, plans to integrate thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing capabilities into the facility shortly. This will allow for end-to-end environmental qualification on-site.

The company is also developing its next generation of intelligent subsystems, which will feature built-in diagnostics and AI-driven capabilities to meet the evolving requirements of the 2027-2030 launch manifest.

Every unit produced meets IPC (Institute for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits) and/or ECSS (European Cooperation for Space Standardisation) standards and is manufactured in a production environment designed to ensure traceability, consistency and uncompromising quality.

The purpose-built hub is designed to support the rapidly growing global demand for flight-proven, high-precision hardware used on satellites and constellations, further strengthening Africa’s role in the international space supply chain.

With this new facility, NSS says it is also establishing one of the most advanced commercial spacecraft component manufacturing hubs in the Southern Hemisphere.



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