Benchmark
Space Systems Nearly Triples Team, Expands Global
Production Capacity In 2022 to Meet Rising
Propulsion System Demand
November 15,
2022
With its
Halcyon propulsion systems playing pivotal roles in
key military and commercial space missions this
year, Benchmark Space Systems today announced it has
tripled its team from 30 to 83 and boosted its
5-year production capacity to one-thousand engines –
all in the last twelve months to meet rapidly rising
demand for its mission-proven thrusters.
Benchmark
has booked more than 250 engine orders, with the
majority of those systems being built and tested at
the company’s headquarters facility in Burlington,
Vermont, where the firm’s wave of recent hires
includes new key executives, Wesley Grove, Senior
Operations Manager and Matt Bradley, Vice President
of Finance. Benchmark also appointed Kent Frankovich
as Vice President of Electric Propulsion, who will
be based at Benchmark’s pre-delivery system test
center in Pleasanton, California.
Benchmark
has expanded its Guidance, Navigation and Control
(GNC) software engineering team to further develop
its SmartAIM™ GNC for unprecedented
operational versatility aboard cubesats, microsats
and ESPAs powered by its Halcyon chemical and new
Xantus electric metal plasma thruster (MPT)
propulsion systems – as well as complementary
thrusters and positioning subsystems.
Benchmark
also announced it is ready to initiate propulsion
system production at its new UK manufacturing and
test facility at the Westcott Innovation Centre
Northwest of London in Aylesbury, England. A
collaboration with UK-based Satellite Applications
Catapult enabled Benchmark to accelerate the build
out of its European assembly and clean room
operations in less than six months.
The first
propulsion engines to roll off Benchmark’s new UK
production line will be Halcyon Avant bipropellant
systems destined for Space Forge satellites, which
are designed to return products made in space back
to Earth. While the down mass re-entry market
attracts much skepticism and scrutiny, it is a key
aspect of the in-space market, proven and practiced
for years by SpaceX.
“The space
market has seen our performance on orbit, and our
breakthrough chemical, electric, and hybrid
propulsion systems, and has responded with major
engine orders we will deliver over the coming
months. We have quickly emerged as the company that
empowers leading satellite manufacturers and
operators by unleashing the full potential of their
missions with the best in-space mobility solutions,”
said Ryan McDevitt, Benchmark Space Systems CEO.
“Benchmark continues to grow exponentially, nearly
tripling the size of our team this year alone and
expanding our five-year production capacity to
one-thousand engines in the U.S. and the UK.
Benchmark is inking major contracts to enable
mission-critical government and commercial space
programs, and we have the people and infrastructure
in place to deliver on the exciting demand.”
“Benchmark’s
UK expansion is an important piece of our global
strategy, as we are now very well positioned to meet
the specific needs of the European space market with
tailored chemical, electric and hybrid propulsion
solutions," according to Mark Arthur, Benchmark’s
Director of European Operations. “Our
alignment with S.A.
Catapult has
allowed Benchmark to stand up our UK manufacturing
and testing capabilities in record time at the
Westcott Innovation Centre, with access to
specialized capital equipment available on campus.
We expect to conduct our first hot fire testing
early next year, and we will be exchanging ideas,
capabilities and technologies across our teams in
the UK, Vermont and California to solve key
challenges for customers and partners around the
world – from in-space manufacturing to space debris
and collision avoidance.”
“We are
thrilled to see our facilities at the Westcott
Innovation Centre play a role in Benchmark’s ability
to accelerate the production and testing of
propulsion systems customized to the requirements of
UK and European space demands,” said Sam Adlen,
Chief Strategy Officer for Satellite Applications
Catapult. “Benchmark brings incredibly innovative
propulsion systems and technologies to the region
and is on the verge of rolling its first tailored
offerings off its Westcott assembly line.”
|