Head of Space Systems Francois Auque announced that Airbus Defence and Space, the world's second largest space company, will be constructing a complex of clean rooms near Warsaw, thus boosting its Polish satellite production facility.

The facilities are intended for use by PZL Warszawa-Okecie, a subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space and PGZ. The clean rooms will initially be used for the production of harnesses, a vital element to keep the various electronic satellite components connected.

In future, they may be able to be used for the assembly of even more complex equipment for satellites and launchers or even small satellites.

Besides accommodating offices and other rooms, the new 500 m2 facilities will contain class ISO 7 clean rooms. In the rooms, the temperature, humidity and maximum number of particles in the air will be strictly monitored (around 2,500 particles =5 um per m; in comparison, the air we normally breathe contains several billion).

For the last 10 years, Airbus Defence and Space has been investing in space activities in Poland.

The company has established its presence in the country through two important subsidiaries, PZL Warszawa-Okecie and Astri Polska (a joint venture with the Space Research Centre), where the high-tech equipment produced by the teams are already contributing to the success of European satellites and probes such as MetOp-SG (meteorology), Biomass (environment) and JUICE (exploration of Jupiter's moons).