Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd

Award-winning aerospace company Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) appointed Clean Room Construction Ltd to design and build a new Optical cleanroom facility for the development of industry-leading satellites.

The new facility, at the company’s headquarters in Guildford, followed on from our involvement in designing and building a secure ISO Class 5 cleanroom with black finishes for SSTL. This complex facility met the stringent requirements needed to develop and test sophisticated optical imagers which form a key part of SSTL’s Earth observation satellites – see separate case study. It also freed up the space for the next phase of construction.

The completed 375m2 facility within the Kepler Building on the Surrey Research Park adds to SSTL’s significant satellite manufacturing and assembling capability, providing a suite of Class 5 cleanrooms with ‘dark’ room capability for the testing of optical equipment within the controlled environment. CRC removed the building’s first-floor level to allow the creation of a room almost 7 metres high, while adding an intermediate floor in another part of the building to provide the plant space needed to serve the new facility.

CRC installed Plasteurop partitioning, fan filter units, flush electrical and gas services, interlocking systems for doors, lasers and window blinds and a black finish cleanroom-specific gantry crane which will be used in spacecraft assembly and testing. The facility has been designed to include a purpose-built removable wall section so the spacecraft can easily exit the building. CRC were also appointed to commission, test and validate the prestigious facility, and provide ongoing maintenance and support during the operation of the site.

Contract value: Circa £4 million