SMF – Virginia
Satellite Manufacturing Facility in Dulles, Virginia
FACILITY
Satellite
Manufacturing
Orbital’s Dulles, Virginia Satellite Manufacturing Facility (SMF) is the largest in the United States east
of the Mississippi River. The 135,000 square foot SMF, one of the most modern in the world, can
accommodate all manufacturing, assembly and testing activities for multiple low-Earth orbit and
geosynchronous-orbit satellites and planetary spacecraft.
The SMF is designed to produce high-reliability commercial communications and broadcasting
satellites, Earth and space science spacecraft, national defense satellites and deep-space spacecraft.
To date, Orbital has developed, built and delivered nearly 150 small- and medium-sized satellites for
government and commercial customers. These satellites have amassed over 1,000 years of in-orbit
experience carrying out critical space science, technology demonstration, remote sensing and
communications missions.
Current Programs at the Virginia SMF Include:
• Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) for NASA
• Ionospheric Connection Explorer (ICON) satellite for NASA
• Cygnus service modules for cargo resupply to the International Space Station
• National Security Space Programs
• SKYM-1 (DirecTV)
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Virginia SMF Features:
• Satellite assembly and integration
areas
– One Class 100,000 clean room
(approximately 22,000 sq ft)
– Bus and Payload Integration Bay
(approximately 5,000 sq ft)
– Three Class 10,000 clean rooms
(each approximately 800 sq ft)
• 28,000 sq ft environmental test area
• Anechoic RF chamber housing a
state-of-the-art 40 ft x 22 ft horizontal
neareld test range for satellite
antenna pattern measurements
• Component fabrication areas
• Electrical harness fabrication area
• Multi-layer insulation (MLI) fabrication
area
• Surface-mount circuit card assembly
(CCA) fabrication area
• Propulsion subsystem manufacturing
and NDE inspection area
• Satellite development laboratories with
hardware and software simulators
• Ofce space for engineers, technicians
and administrative staff
A GEOStar™-2 commercial communications
satellite in Orbital's Virginia satellite
manufacturing facility
SMF – Virginia
Component
Test Lab
Receiving
Inspection
Material
Control
Class 100,000
Clean Room
(High Bay)
Assembly &
Integration Bay
(High Bay)
Lobby
Vibration
Area
EMI / EMC
Test Area
Structural
Test
Area
Machine
Shop
Storage
Area
Engineering
Development Lab
Harness
Work
Center
Harness
Work
Center
Transition
Bay
Thermal
Cycle
Area
Box-Level
Vibe
Area
Blast
Cage
Tube
Bending
Area
Thermal
Vacuum Area
Propulsion
Work
Center
Antenna
Range
Shipping
and Receiving
Class 10,000
Clean Rooms
Assembly &
Integration Bay
(Low Bay)
Environmental Test Bay
Electronic Component Work Center
(2nd Floor)
Program Offices
(3rd Floor)
Blanket Shop
(2nd Floor)
G091_06
Facility Layout
Antenna Range Propulsion Lab Vibration Test Class 100,000 Clean Room
Orbital Sciences Corporation
45101 Warp Drive
©2014 Orbital Sciences Corporation FS005_01_2998
•
Dulles, Virginia 20166
•
www.orbital.com
Class 10,000
Clean Room
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