Washington, DC March 18, 1998 – Hughes Space and Communications Company has opened what is being billed as the world's largest satellite manufacturing facility near company headquarters in Los Angeles, Calif. The new plant adds a new thermal vacuum chamber with a 63,000 cubic foot testing area.
The facility also now has a ultra-modern antenna test center and the
ability to test and checkout any configuration of the company's three major
satellite designs: the HS376, HS601, and the huge new HS702 spacecraft.
Four satellite thermal tests can now be conducted at the same time, Hughes
officials said. Thermal stress testing can be done simultaneously on two
sats.
The new integrated satellite factory is contained within Hughes' satellite
manufacturing and assembly complex near L.A. Now, the arguably largest
satellite maker in the world can design, build, fabricate, test and verify
flight components for telecommunication spacecraft that can be launched
from virtually any major spaceport in the world. Loral, LockMart, and
Aerospatiale, are you listening?
