Spirit and Astraius alliance to yield better aluminium aerostructures for Prestwick Spaceport

Spirit AeroSystems and Astraius have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the Prestwick Spaceport, created through an alliance between Glasgow Prestwick Airport and South Ayrshire Council. Spirit produces aerostructures for aircraft with advanced knowledge in composite and aluminium components manufacturing.

Prestwick Spaceport helps ferry small satellites into orbit by executing a horizontal launch or “air launch”.

Prestwick had previously, in September 2021, anointed Astraius as a launch enabler who assured providing high-end technologies for pristine launch conditions. Prestwick usually optimises an aircraft flying over the Atlantic Ocean.

Astraius’ horizontal launch system utilises a C-17 transport aircraft with an embedded delivery platform that chokes its dependency on ergonomic and customised aircraft elevating its response time. The company has planned the partnership witnessing the emerging demand for payloads designated to perform several tasks from the orbit like disaster support, relief efforts, and closely computing climate change.

Spirit AeroSystems has expertise in materialising aerostructures for aircraft with special applications of composite materials and aluminium. The company’s primary products are integrated wings & wing parts, fuselage, pylons and nacelles.

The CEO of Astraius, Kevin Seymour, specified: “This MoU is the first step in what I’m confident will be a long-term partnership with Spirit AeroSystems. Spirit’s advanced manufacturing expertise and world-class facilities can significantly bolster our development roadmap, bringing together U.K. engineering excellence with proven horizontal launch technology.”

The Spirit Senior AeroSystems Vice President, Airbus and Regional/Business Jet Programs, Scott McLarty, exclaimed: “Spirit is well-positioned to develop new skills and technologies to contribute to the U.K.’s resilience and supply chain in the space sector and support high-value manufacturing regional hubs.”

“We are delighted to be working with Astraius to explore opportunities to contribute further to the expansion of the U.K. Space Sector through the design, manufacturing, integration and testing of aerostructures for launch activities,” McLarty concluded.

Both firms are located in Prestwick’s space park, which is considered Scotland’s largest aerospace cluster. The enterprise has prophesied launching satellites from the cluster in 2023, for which it has bagged multi-million-pound funding via an Ayrshire Growth Deal.