Argotec, a company specialising in the design and manufacture of small satellites and advanced space systems, has announced the opening of its new production headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. The planned investment exceeds $25 million, consolidating the company’s presence in the United States and its strong ties with Turin, a hub for production and technological innovation.
The choice of Florida, in the heart of the US Space Coast, is strategic: the region recorded 109 launches in 2025 and has a pipeline of over 220 aerospace projects worth $6 billion, confirming its status as the industrial and technological hub of the US space sector. Argotec’s headquarters are located 65 kilometres from the Kennedy Space Centre, offering quick access to major US contractors and proximity to smallsat programmes and missions, as well as dual-use defence projects.
With the opening of its production facility in Florida – which has already been operational for some time – Argotec is taking a significant step forward: from an Italian company with strong roots in the European market to a new industrial leader on America’s Space Coast. The United States is the world’s leading driver of space development, with a specific focus on the smallsat segment, which is growing steadily and is projected to be worth over 32 billion globally by 2030 (source: MarketsandMarkets)
The new facility comprises offices, a warehouse and production areas, including two modular ISO 7-class clean rooms, designed to ensure operational flexibility and the parallel management of multiple satellites and subsystems. The business model is the same as that of the SpacePark in Turin and focuses on large-scale industrialisation, with scalable and modular products, vertical integration and near-immediate delivery. The facility is capable of simultaneously producing ten HEOs and one Hawk PLUS per month.
The site already employs 20 staff, and the recruitment plan aims to increase this to over 60 within 24 months, drawing on one of the richest pools of engineering talent in the United States: some of the country’s most competitive aerospace universities are located within an hour’s drive.
Argotec’s Melbourne, Florida site is already involved in several programmes, including the upcoming launch of the seven HEO satellites for IRIDE, the Earth observation constellation commissioned by the Italian Government and managed by the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. In parallel, there is also the miniCOR scientific mission, whose CDR (critical design review) is scheduled for April, with launch planned for the fourth quarter of 2027.
“This is a crucial step in Argotec’s growth and our expansion strategy,” says David Avino, CEO and founder of Argotec (pictured), in a statement. “We have been working with our American colleagues to bring our DNA to the United States, where the market demands even greater speed and forward-looking technology, even for the world’s largest space companies. “We are proud to be able to bring Italian excellence to the world and to consolidate Italy’s role in the American space sector; it will be a great opportunity for growth for us and for the country.”
The opening of the Florida facility coincides with the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission, underscoring the central importance of the space sector. Following ArgoMoon’s participation in the mission – as the only European satellite among the 10 launched with Artemis I and one of the few to establish communication with Earth – this marks a new milestone in Argotec’s international growth.
Italian technological expertise, innovation and know-how are driving growth in a highly competitive and rapidly expanding sector, where reliability and speed of delivery are key indicators for space agencies, industrial operators and dual-use programmes. The Melbourne, Florida office strengthens Argotec’s position as a leading industrial partner between Europe and the United States.
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