Argotec has opened its first U.S. satellite production facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida, signaling a push to meet rising demand from American space programs.

The Hawk Plus platform is modular, enabling rapid sensor and propulsion substitutions and aiming to cut production lead times from years to months while supporting manufacturing in both Europe and the United States.

The company plans to triple its U.S. staff to about 60 within two years as part of a $25 million investment that supports a global workforce of around 300.

U.S. workload is driven by NASA and Defense programs, including Artemis II and potential needs for space-based communications and observation infrastructure.

The Tampa facility will enable assembly and integration of more than 10 HEO small satellites at once, with a capacity to produce one spacecraft per month using the Hawk Plus platform.

Other international players like Space Forge (UK) and Bellatrix Aerospace (India) are expanding into the U.S. to leverage American launch infrastructure and demand.

Initial U.S. operations began in June at the Florida site, processing Argotec’s first HEO satellite for Italy’s IRIDE constellation, with final assembly completed in Florida before launch.

Argotec’s current U.S. mission, MiniCOR, will host a miniaturized coronagraph from Johns Hopkins APL to study the Sun’s corona and showcase cost-effective, compact sensor technology.

IRIDE satellites are partly built in Turin and shipped to Florida; eight are already in orbit, seven more are in development, with a target of delivering up to 10 additional satellites by end-2026.