U-Space, a Toulouse-based company producing small satellites, has just inaugurated its new manufacturing site. Fabien Apper, the company’s president and co-founder, talked to L’éco d’ici.
U-Space is a Toulouse-based company aiming to make a name for itself in the satellite manufacturing sector. Fabien Apper, president and co-founder of U-Space, was the guest of l’éco d’ici. The company is based at B612, the Montaudran innovation center. It manufactures next-generation nano-satellites.
When we think “nano”, we think of microscopic things. But are your satellites anything bigger than that?
Yes, our satellites are about the size of a shoebox. The mass of our product range varies from a few kilos to 150 kilos for the largest satellites we can manufacture.
Are they as powerful and have the same uses as large satellites?
Traditionally, manufacturers such as Airbus and Thales have built satellites ranging from 500 kilos to a few tons. The advantage of making them much smaller is that they’re much cheaper to produce and much cheaper to send into space. This makes it possible to deploy what we call constellations: a few dozen satellites in orbit. This makes it possible to provide services on a global scale, such as earth observation and navigation. They are not exactly as powerful as the big satellites, because they carry smaller instruments. On the other hand, they do carry new, highly miniaturized technologies, enabling them to address new applications.
When you say they’re cheaper, can you give us an order of magnitude?
They can be 10 to 100 times cheaper than the biggest satellites.
You manufacture these nano-satellites in the factory you’ve just inaugurated. It’s an extension of your premises at B612, the Montaudran innovation center. Is the idea to be able to manufacture satellites?
Yes, we had 1,000 square meters of office space at B612, and we’ve now fitted out our factory, which offers almost 1,000 square meters of cleanroom space to manufacture these satellites. We’re going to deploy assembly lines there to be able to produce dozens of satellites. Our aim is to produce one satellite a week.
Are you still a long way off today?
We’ve already built two satellites in our factory, which was completed in less than a year. They will be launched next March. Our roadmap is to roll out our assembly lines, automate production and reach our target of one satellite a week.
One satellite a week is a steady pace. Are you sure you’ll sell them?
The market is still growing strongly. There are over a hundred constellation projects using these small satellites worldwide. So we’re confident that the market needs this kind of production capacity.
You will be launching two satellites next March. You’re working with SpaceX. How do you feel when you see them go?
These are two satellites weighing around 25 kilos that will be launched with a new Falcon on Transporter 13. It’s the culmination of several years’ work, and the team has spent two years on these two satellites.