Beyond Gravity increases thruster pointing production capacity tenfold

The space company Beyond Gravity is doubling the production area at its site in Berndorf, Austria.

“We are seeing strong, sustained demand for our high-performance electrical propulsion pointing mechanisms, especially from customers in the U.S. and Europe,” says Wolfgang Pawlinetz, Vice President Thermal & Mechanisms at Beyond Gravity. © Beyond Gravity, Anna Rauchenberger.

A Beyond Gravity APPMAX-3 pointing mechanism in the form of a robotic arm will control the SWISSto12 HummingSat electric spacecraft thruster. Copyright: Beyond Gravity.

APPMAX2-XS is a next-generation electric propulsion pointing mechanism designed specifically for small satellites operating in Low Earth Orbit. © Beyond Gravity.

Beyond Gravity, a leading global space supplier, is significantly expanding its production footprint in Austria to meet surging demand for mechanisms, which point electric satellite thrusters. “We are investing 4.5 million euros to double our production facility in Berndorf, Austria. This is a significant step in the further industrialization of our different production lines”, says Dr. Barbara Frei-Spreiter, CEO Beyond Gravity. The Berndorf site will have the capacity to manufacture 100 electric propulsion pointing mechanisms per year in single shift in the first expansion step. Located 40 kilometers south of Vienna, the Berndorf facility will double in size to approximately 5,000 square meters (approx. 54,000 sq ft). The company will expand into an existing adjacent hall that will be equipped with advanced machinery, including a shaker and Austria’s largest cleanroom for space production. The new manufacturing area is scheduled for completion in spring 2027. In 2025, Beyond Gravity announced that it is expanding its production of solar array drive mechanisms at its Zurich site in Switzerland, increasing production capacity fivefold.

“Strong demand from U.S. and Europe”

The expansion in Berndorf, Austria, comes amid strong demand from both institutional and commercial space programs, particularly in the United States and Europe. “The space market continues to accelerate. We are seeing strong, sustained demand for our high-performance electrical propulsion pointing mechanisms, especially from customers in the U.S. and Europe,” says Oliver Grassmann, Chief Operating Officer at Beyond Gravity. The Berndorf site is already the company’s production hub for thermal insulation hardware for satellites and launch vehicles. “It will evolve into a dual-focus facility, adding serial production of advanced gimbal mechanisms for space”, explains Wolfgang Pawlinetz, Vice President Thermal & Mechanisms at Beyond Gravity. “Over the next three years, we will create around 50 highly skilled industrial jobs at the site,” says Wolfgang Pawlinetz.

Serial production of entire APPMAX mechanisms

A major driver of this expansion is Beyond Gravity’s contract with SWISSto12 to supply APPMAX3 thruster pointing mechanisms for its HummingSat telecommunications satellites. This three-axis mechanism resembles a robotic arm. Serial production for this and other international programs will be consolidated at the Berndorf site. Beyond Gravity will manufacture its entire portfolio of APPMAX (Advanced Electric Propulsion Pointing Mechanism) products in Berndorf, including:

– APPMAX3 (three-axis robotic arm mechanisms)
– APPMAX2 (two-axis mechanisms; heavy and small variants)
– APPMAX2-XS, the newest variant for small satellites and LEO constellations

Unveiled at the Space Tech Expo USA in June, the APPMAX2-XS utilizes commercial off-the-shelf components and industrialized production processes to meet the industry’s growing demand for lower mass, faster delivery, and easier integration at previously unattainable price points for high-quality gimbals.

Pointing mechanisms: less propellant, longer satellite lifetime

Pointing mechanisms play a critical role in satellite performance by optimizing thruster alignment. The APPMAX propulsion pointing mechanisms allow for optimized thrust alignment—significantly reducing wasted propellant. “Currently, a lot of satellites are burning propellant, but not because of the spacecraft’s thrusters. It is because of the pointing of the thruster”, explains Dominik Inschlag, Director Sales & Marketing for Thermal and Mechanisms at Beyond Gravity. In addition, electrical propulsion pointing mechanisms can increase satellite lifetime by up to two years, and they are the most cost-effective solution for high thruster masses. “Our thruster pointing mechanisms enable satellites to maneuver and hold their position precisely, saving fuel and time while maximizing performance.” After launch and deployment into space, satellites still face the critical challenge of reaching their final orbit. This is where the pointing mechanisms come in, explains Inschlag. “They allow orbit raising to be carried out in the most efficient way possible.” In 2024, Beyond Gravity modernized and expanded its mechanisms production cleanroom in Vienna. This cleanroom will continue to be the center for development of mechanisms, prototypes and smaller volumes.

ESA Director General Aschbacher: “Space is gaining geostrategic importance”

Josef Aschbacher, Director General of the European Space Agency (ESA): “Space technology is gaining geostrategic importance. It is essential that we have a strong, capable space industry in Europe. The strong international demand for pointing mechanisms demonstrates the innovative strength and competitiveness of the European space industry.”

Austrian Space Minister Hanke: “A Rapidly Growing Economic Sector”

Peter Hanke, the Austrian Minister of Innovation and Space: “Space technology is indispensable to modern society, for example in the fields of communication and mobility. Whether trains, cars, or airplanes—they all rely on precise positioning data from satellites in space. The space industry is one of the fastest-growing domestic economic sectors. It is therefore also one of the nine key technologies and areas of strength in Austria’s industrial strategy. That is why it was important to me to increase Austria’s contribution to the European Space Agency from 260 to 340 million euros.” Beyond Gravity Austria is the largest domestic space supplier.

Former cosmonaut Viehböck: “Space becoming increasingly important”

Franz Viehböck, the only Austrian to have been in space and CEO of Berndorf AG, the landlord of the hall in Berndorf: “As Austria’s only person that was in space, I am delighted that the space industry is growing and thriving at our Berndorf AG industrial park with the expanded production of Beyond Gravity. Space is a future technology of the 21st century that is becoming increasingly important, whether for society, the economy, or security.”

Governor Mikl-Leitner: “Lower Austria Reaches for the Stars”

Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Governor of Lower Austria: “Space products from Lower Austria are in high demand worldwide. I am delighted that the space cluster continues to grow across our state and that Beyond Gravity is now also producing space mechanisms in the Triesting Valley. Already, nearly every European ESA satellite is protected from the extreme cold and heat of space by thermal protection from Berndorf. Europe’s largest rocket, the Ariane 6, relies on high-temperature insulation from Berndorf as well. With companies like Beyond Gravity, Lower Austria is reaching for the stars.”