Made In Space, which makes technology that allows satellite construction in space, will expand and set up its corporate headquarters in Jacksonville.

Jacksonville takes a giant leap into orbit as Made In Space announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters to its existing operation at 8226 Philips Highway.

Gov. Ron DeSantis made the announcement Friday at the companys 19,000-square-foot office just south of Baymeadows Road, saying the current 75-plus member workforce who design and create orbiting satellite manufacturing systems and other space technology will expand.

The company works with NASA on manufacturing and assembly systems that build satellites in orbit. It was recently awarded a contract to develop whats called Archinaut to build a small satellite power system in orbit.

Now its joins the many companies in Florida that work with a reinvigorated NASA on the future in space.

"The amount of private sector involvement is just incredible. Made In Space is a great example of that," DeSantis said. "They have already flown eight different missions to the International Space Station, and last November they launched their latest space station facility using hardware developed and tested right here in Jacksonville."

Made In Space has room for about 150 employees in its newly designated Jacksonville headquarters and should have close to that within a year or two, CEO Andrew Rush said. It is also "keeping our options open" for possible expansion, possibly into the Jacksonville Aviation Authoritys Cecil Spaceport at the former Westside Navy base, he said.

"We do have ambitions of one day building a larger satellite facility and Cecil is definitely on the short list of places where we might do that," Rush said. "The facilities there and the infrastructure, especially with the runways, are really attractive from a hardware delivery perspective."

Made In Space was founded in 2010 in Californias Silicon Valley to enable space manufacturing and expanded to Jacksonville in 2015. It has flown eight different missions to the International Space Station and has several more slated to launch to there in 2020.

NASA awarded the company a $73.7 million contract to develop Archinaut One, an automated factory that will make components for a satellite in orbit. It will then use its robotic arms to arrange the data-transmitting nodes and struts it makes into a space-optimized "ULISSES" satellite structure," as video animation at bit.ly/30xvMJO shows.

This will be the worlds first self-assembling satellite, helping NASA with long-term goals for missions from the Moon to Mars as it builds huge lattice-type structures in space without the limitations of gravity, the company said.

The Philips Highway headquarters will include the capability to locally make, test and control spacecraft and 3D printing technology to build that in orbit. The expansion is part of a multi-year program that generated more than 50 new jobs in Jacksonville since early 2019, the company said.

The Jacksonville headquarters will also consolidate the administrative, engineering, operations and production teams for the companys major technology programs, including Archinaut One.

In conjunction with Cecil Spaceport, Made In Spaces relocation will make Jacksonville a leader in the new field of space manufacturing, said Frank DiBello, head of Space Florida, the principal state agency for aerospace-related economic development.

"With that relocation comes the addition of a number of high-paying jobs, but more importantly new and extremely innovative technology segment to Jacksonvilles already vibrant economy," he said. "... It helps turn Duval County into a space industry hub for the state."

DeSantis said the move will also give Made In Space easy access to the "No. 1 place in the world" for space exploration: the Kennedy Space Center and the countrys new Space Command.

"They are investing more than $3 million, and their footprint is increased from a 2-room facility to this 19,000-square-foot facility," the governor said. "... This thing is just going to blossom."

Dan Scanlan: (904) 359-4549

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Florida governor announces expansion of space manufacturing company in Jacksonville - The Florida Times-Union