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Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace has entered into an agreement to acquire Lithuanian smallsat mission integrator and bus manufacturer NanoAvionics

The planned acquisition expands our space offering to also have products and technology for manufacturing small satellites.

NanoAvionics is a leading smallsat mission integrator and bus manufacturer with significant global growth recent years, including expansions into the UK and the USA. 

“By joining forces, NanoAvionics and Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace will be able to provide cost efficient solutions and services. The market for small satellite constellations will increase going forward, within commercial, security and defence segments. NanoAvionics has a strong proven track record, and we look forward to working closely with this talented team,” says Eirik Lie, President of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

The two companies have complementary technology and positions in the space value chain. 

NanoAvionics is a leader in the Smallsat segment as a mission integrator and bus manufacturer, whilst Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace is an established provider of spacecraft subsystems, and through KSAT – Kongsberg Satellite Services the world-leading supplier of satellite ground stations for downloading and processing satellite data.

NanoAvionics has customers in more than 40 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas, complementing our global positions in both the traditional space segment and new space.

Delivering on Norwegian space ambitions

The planned acquisition is in line with KONGSBERG’s strategic priorities to grow in the space technology sector and Norway’s space ambitions. In April KONGSBERG announced the procurement of three microsatellites from NanoAvionics as a first step of establishing Norway's first satellite constellation with unique and world-leading capabilities. On July 5 of this year KONGSBERG will open a new 6,000 square meter building, with specialized facilities for the development and production of products to be launched into space.

“Norway is a leader in the domain of maritime surveillance in the high north. The planned acquisition incorporates world class small satellite technology into our portfolio enabling further advances in surveillance and other key strategic capacities. NanoAvionics, along with our existing space portfolio and the development of the Andøya space port means Norway now has leading positions across the entire value chain”, says Lie.