Development, manufacturing and testing of metal and CFRP composite structures for satellites, launch vehicles and space stations
Space Structures GmbH
BerlinNew on Amplifa
About Space Structures
Space Structures GmbH is a Berlin-based company specialized in structures and mechanical subsystems for space applications. The company develops, manufactures, tests and delivers metal and CFRP composite structures for satellites, launch vehicles, space stations, landers and interplanetary probes. The portfolio includes spacecraft primary structures, instrument structures, opto-mechanical systems, solar array structures, electronics equipment, propulsion systems and rideshare solutions such as multi-satellite launch vehicle adapters. Metallic structures are manufactured by CNC machining; for composite structures, an innovative CFRP fiber placement process with resin infusion is used, ensuring constant part thickness across various geometries. In addition, the company offers engineering services, including FEM analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS), thermal analysis (ESAtan, Thermica), CAD design (SOLIDWORKS), fracture control (NASGRO), vibro-acoustic analysis (VA One) and structural optimization (OptiStruct). Since its founding in 2011 in Bremen by Florian Ruess and Dr. Benjamin Braun, the company has realized more than 500 projects for over 100 customers, including ESA, OHB Italia, Sener and SpaceX, and acts as prime contractor for the internal secondary structures of the International Habitation Module of the Lunar Gateway.
- Site
- Berlin
- Processes
- FEM analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS), Thermal analysis (ESAtan, Thermica), CAD design (SOLIDWORKS), Fracture Control / fracture mechanics analysis (NASGRO), Vibro-acoustic analysis (VA One), Optimization (Optistruct), Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of metal structures for space applications, Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of CFRP composite structures for space applications
- Materials
- Metal, CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic), Metallic Structures, CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic), FEM Analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS), Thermal Analysis (ESAtan, Thermica), Fracture Control (NASGRO), Vibro-Acoustic Analysis (VA One)
- Certificates
- EN 9100:2018, ISO 9001:2015, EN 9100, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 2011
- Industries
- Space, Satellites, Launch Vehicles, Space Stations, Landers, Interplanetary Probes
- 01
Consulting from the first design to the manufactured and tested product
- 02
Design (CAD, SOLIDWORKS)
- 03
Structural and thermal analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS, ESAtan, Thermica)
- 04
Optimization (OptiStruct)
- 05
Manufacturing (CNC machining of metal, CFRP fiber placement)
- 06
Testing
- 07
Delivery
Materials and Processes
Metallic Structures
Manufacturing of primary and secondary structures, instrument structures and opto-mechanical systems by CNC machining.
CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic)
Composite structures with tailored fiber placement and resin infusion for constant part thickness across various geometries.
FEM Analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS)
Structural sizing and verification of components and subsystems.
Thermal Analysis (ESAtan, Thermica)
Thermal design of spacecraft structures.
Fracture Control (NASGRO)
Fracture mechanics analysis of metallic structures.
Vibro-Acoustic Analysis (VA One)
Analysis of vibro-acoustic loads for space applications.
Structural Optimization (OptiStruct)
Weight-optimized design of structural components.
Sites
Berlin
DEHeadquarters with engineering, manufacturing, testing and delivery
- Materials
- Metal, CFRP
- CNC machining
- CAD design (SOLIDWORKS)
- FEM analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS)
- Thermal analysis (ESAtan, Thermica)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEM analysis (NASTRAN, ANSYS)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Metall, CFRP |
| Thermal analysis (ESAtan, Thermica)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| CAD design (SOLIDWORKS)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Fracture Control / fracture mechanics analysis (NASGRO)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Vibro-acoustic analysis (VA One)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Optimization (Optistruct)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of metal structures for space applicationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Development, manufacturing, testing and delivery of CFRP composite structures for space applicationsEngineering | – | – | – | – | CFRP |
| CFRP fiber placement with resin infusion (tailored CFRP fiber placement)Plastics | – | – | – | – | CFRP |
| Manufacturing of CFRP boom for Comet InterceptorPlastics | – | – | – | – | CFRP |
| Manufacturing of internal secondary structures for the International Habitation Module (IHAB, LunarAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall, CFRP |
| Design and manufacturing of rideshare multi-payload adapters (LVA family) for SpaceX TransporterAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Manufacturing of struts, rods and beams for aAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall, CFRP |
| Manufacturing of primary structure cleats for EDRS-CAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Development and manufacturing of the complete structure subsystems of the (sub)mm ValidationAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall, CFRP |
| Manufacturing of the COLIBRIS translation platform (movable cradle) for the Large Space SimulatorAssembly | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Sizing of the primary structure and engineering for instruments (MetOp-SG)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Structural subsystem analysis and verification (Biomass, Earth Explorer 7)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Metall, CFRP |
| Hoisting configuration verification (lifting/transport configurations)Testing | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| CNC machining of metal structures (mechanical hardware manufacturing in the field ofMachining | – | – | – | – | Metall |
| Consulting from the first design to the manufactured and tested productEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality Management
The quality management system is certified according to EN 9100:2018 and ISO 9001:2015; a dedicated quality team lead (Quality) is embedded in the team. Products are tested and developed according to ECSS standards.
| Evidence | Berlin |
|---|---|
| EN 9100 | |
| ISO 9001 |
Company History
- 2011
Founding of Space Structures by Florian Ruess and Dr. Benjamin Braun in Bremen
- 2014
Relocation of the company from Bremen to Berlin
- 2016
First mission in orbit: ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (Mars)
- 2017
First GEO project: Hispasat 36W-1 on the SmallGEO platform
- 2022
Dozens of satellites launched on launch vehicle adapters from Space Structures
- 2024
Launch of the new website