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PARIS — Portal Space Systems will create a second factory to scale up production of high-performance in-space vehicles as it gears up for initial test flights in 2026.
The company announced at the Paris Air Show June 17 that it will establish a second factory, five kilometers from its current facilities in Bothell, Washington, for its Supernova vehicle. The new factory, spanning more than 4,600 square meters, is scheduled to open in late 2026.
The second facility will allow Portal to produce one Supernova spacecraft a month starting in 2027. Supernova is the spacecraft the company is developing that uses solar thermal propulsion to provide both high thrust and high delta V, or change in velocity.
“By expanding our footprint in Bothell, we’re doubling down on local talent, proximity to core operations, and a growing aerospace ecosystem supported by state leadership,” Jeff Thornburg, chief executive of Portal Space Systems, said in a statement.
The contract was announced at the Washington state pavilion in the sprawling exhibit halls of the air show. “Portal Space Systems represents the kind of bold, future-facing innovation we’re proud to see growing in Washington,” Joe Nguyen, director of the state’s Department of Commerce, said in the statement. “Their approach to in-space maneuverability not only advances the frontier of space technology but it also strengthens the state’s position as a hub for world-class talent and national space infrastructure.”
Portal announced April 3 that it raised a $17.5 million seed round to fund development of Supernova and an initial demonstration mission. The company then announced May 28 that it would fly its first demonstration with Momentus on that company’s Vigoride 7 orbital transfer vehicle, slated to launch in February 2026 on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission.
The choice of Momentus for that test flight was surprising as that company has not flown a mission since 2023, delaying future Vigoride flights in early 2024 as the publicly traded company faced a cash crunch.
“We chose Momentus for this flight because the timing aligned with our development schedule, their team was collaborative and great to work with, and the cost made sense for an early hardware validation mission that gives us a clear path to de-risk critical systems in space and supports our broader Supernova launch objectives,” the company said in a statement to SpaceNews in late May.
In a presentation at the Paris Air Show June 18, Thornburg said that first flight will focus on subsystems other than propulsion. “The first flight in February is really derisking a lot of our flight computer avionics, other sensors and systems,” he said. A second test flight is planned for later in the year that will have similar objectives “but in a more robust way.”
“Two flights next year are critical to showing our customers the critical risk reduction we’re performing to set Supernova up for success.”
After those flights, Thornburg said, the company will be ready for flight tests of the propulsion system. The company is doing ground tests of the propulsion system now and will build the first full-scale Supernova spacecraft in parallel with the two test flights. “It will be ready to fly in late ’26 or early ’27.”
Much of his presentation focused on the importance of maneuverability, citing the growing threats in orbit to spacecraft as countries like China and Russia demonstrate the ability to maneuver and approach other spacecraft.
“We can no longer build spacecraft that can only fly at one altitude, because now our adversaries are building spacecraft that are much more capable,” he said. “Maneuverability specifically is key to reasserting the free use of space for allied nations.”
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