Beyond Gravity has been awarded a contract to manufacture 38 payload fairings for the Vulcan rockets that United Launch Alliance plans to use to deliver Amazon’s Project Kuiper to space.
Work on the payload fairings, also called nose cones, will be performed at the Beyond Gravity facilities in Decatur. Beyond Gravity was known as RUAG Space until earlier this year.
To accommodate the work, Beyond Gravity will double the production capacity at its Decatur plant, adding some 200,000 square feet of space and hiring an additional 200 workers, bringing total employment to 400.
Amazon’s Kuiper Project seeks to build a network of more than 3,000 low-Earth-orbit satellites that will enable broadband internet connectivity worldwide.
Earlier this year, Amazon awarded Beyond Gravity a contract for the satellite dispenser systems.
Beyond Gravity CEO André Wall says: “I am very proud that the Vulcan launch vehicles that will carry the Kuiper constellation into space rely on our leading-edge and proven technology in the field of composite structures. This contract with ULA marks the next chapter in our long-standing partnership and further strengthens and expands our presence in the U.S.”
Paul Horstink, executive vice president for the launchers division, added, “With this new facility, Beyond Gravity will move to the next level: from producing a total of 10 payload fairings in Decatur per year to a target of 25.”
