Why the production environment can become a cost factor

Space Tech Expo 2025 Bremen

Space Tech Expo Europe 2025 in Bremen will once again bring together the leading players in the space industry. Engineers, researchers, start-ups, and suppliers will exchange ideas, present innovations, and discuss trends. At first glance, the focus is often on satellites, launch vehicles, or entire missions — for example, at DLR, Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), or the Airbus Integrated Technology Center (ITC).

But all these projects have one thing in common: they require tailor-made production environments. Without suitable buildings, clean rooms, technical infrastructure, and utilities, it is not possible to manufacture the highly sensitive products used in space travel. This is precisely where professional project coordination comes in – not in the construction of the satellites themselves, but in the construction of the production facilities where they are built.

Why the production environment can become a cost factor

In many cases, space travel requires:

• High-tech buildings with special climate and cleanliness requirements

• Large halls with special load, transport, and height requirements

• Complex supply systems for media, IT, and security

Operating such infrastructures is expensive — and can quickly become a cost trap for the actual space project. This is precisely why it must be clearly defined which requirements are really necessary before turning the first spade ful of earth, where flexible planning is possible, and how investment and operating costs can be optimized in the long term. Project management / Project coordination must therefore do much more than just monitor schedules and budgets – it must be integrated and strategic.

Project management as the key to the construction process

Professional project management (project coordination) ensures that precisely these questions are clarified in good time before planning begins. Errors or omissions at this early stage lead to additional costs, delays, and planning errors later on.

Key steps in this process are:

• Precise analysis of the production task: Which processes are to be mapped in the facility?

• Detailed planning of the production steps for the space project: from the handling of sensitive components to logistics.

• Definition of the requirements for the facility – always with a view to high investment and operating costs.

• Moderation and control of these issues by the project management team to ensure that no aspect is overlooked.

Taken together, these findings make it clear that successful project management for construction projects in the aerospace industry must combine strategic, organizational, and methodological skills – and is thus more than ever the backbone of successful missions.

Key topics at the start of the project

To ensure that the production facility optimally meets requirements, the following points, among others, must be checked and controlled during the start-up phase:

• • Verification of processes and workflows with regard to flexibility (e.g., use of clean room tents instead of expensive large clean rooms)

• • Detailed analysis of space requirements (heights, loads, transport techniques, cleanliness, climate, etc.)

• • Limiting clean activities to the necessary extent

• • Facility utility matrix and technical specifications

• • Process logistics and IT structure analysis

• • Communication matrix and client organization

• • Project structure and schedule as well as controlling

Experience shows that it is not only the technical content that needs to be verified at an early stage – the project setup on the client side is also critical to success (see our article for more details: When the client's lack of project setup becomes a project risk). This includes clear organizational structures, defined decision-making powers, regulated processes for procurement, budget approvals, and invoice processing. If this setup is missing, the client quickly becomes a stumbling block in terms of scheduling: planners or suppliers wait for approvals, budgets, or payments, while the project has long since demanded performance. A professional project manager ensures structure, discipline, and transparency in precisely this area — and prevents these supposed “trifles” from becoming a real project risk.

Only if these building blocks are professionally moderated from the outset will a production environment for the space project emerge that is not only technically but also economically viable.

Practical examples from Germany

• DLR satellite missions: require clean rooms and test halls in which highly sensitive components are assembled and tested.

• Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA): requires special manufacturing and testing environments for rocket stages – with safety and approval requirements.

• Airbus ITC in Friedrichshafen: a modern center with large clean rooms that was only realized on time and within budget thanks to integrated project management.

All three examples show that without professional management during the construction of the production facilities, these key space projects in Germany would not have been possible.

Conclusion

Ultimately, all construction challenges boil down to the same conclusion: whether it's the DLR with its complex satellite missions, the dynamic development of launch vehicles by Rocket Factory Augsburg, or the highly sensitive clean room construction of the Airbus Integrated Technology Center — without the right environment, such demanding technical innovations cannot be produced. Project management (project coordination) in the construction of such buildings is not only a supporting discipline, but also the connecting element that ensures technical excellence, organizational clarity, and economic stability. It makes the difference between ambitious ideas and successfully realized space projects.

Meet us at Space Tech Expo Europe 2025 in Bremen, Hall 7 / Booth Z02!

Project management is not an optional add-on, but the heart of every successful space project. Anyone attending Space Tech Expo 2025 in Bremen should recognize this responsibility, use the methods, and find partners who can deliver exactly that.

Would you like to discuss your space projects in detail? We cordially invite you to make an appointment with us directly at Space Tech Expo 2025 in Bremen. Visit us in Hall 7 | Booth Z02 so we can discuss how we can lay the foundation to get your projects ready for orbit.