Jamie Bennet
Robert Geckle Jr., CEO of Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, said during the 2023 Global Aerospace Summit on Sept. 16 that his company is investing in its manufacturing capability in the United States to address the demand for low-Earth orbit satellites brought on by the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation program.
The PWSA is a mesh network of LEO satellites that will work to provide joint warfighters with space-based capabilities, the SDA says.
Speaking at a panel moderated by Defense & Aerospace Report, Geckle described the PWSA program as “the box office hit from a demand signals standpoint” and touted his company’s “proud heritage of mass production of constellations,” a capability that can be expanded and enhanced to meet the requirements of national security.
“We’re investing… hundreds of millions of dollars to design products, modular satellite capabilities, and improve our factories, increase our factories,” Geckle said.
The chief executive also noted that a mesh network working across all domains would rely on optical communication technology. As a solution for the requirement, he cited his company’s Tesat laser communication offerings, which he said would be built in Florida.
The state is home to a manufacturing facility operated by Tesat Government, an Airbus U.S. Space & Defense subsidiary. The organization was established in March with the aim of meeting U.S. government demand for optical communication solutions. Manufacturing at the site is expected to begin by the end of 2023.
