The new factory and headquarters space in County Durham brings larger capacity to the technology innovator

Satellite communications specialist Filtronic has launched a new, multimillion-pound factory in County Durham.

The world-leading firm, which has a key supplier to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite programme, has opened the 44,000 sqft headquarters and manufacturing facility close to its original home at NETPark. The purpose-built site significantly expands production capacity with a doubling of its manufacturing footprint and a six-fold increase in cleanroom facilities.

Filtronic says the move means it now has the capacity to support £200m annual revenue, from its current position of about £55m. The firm says the new home will help it cement its position as the country’s top producer of “mission-critical” high frequency technologies used in satellite communications, space systems and defence programmes.

In it, Filtronic’s engineers will design, develop, qualify, manufacture and test high performance connectivity technology. The new facility – which has been entirely self funded by the London-listed business – is intended to make production more scalable via growing automation.

Nat Edington, CEO at Filtronic, said, “Our investment in this new facility brings the scale, capability and resilience needed for our next phase of growth. As our markets shift decisively towards higher frequencies, higher bandwidth and ultra-reliable solid-state architectures, it’s a signal that we’ll continue to pre-empt, support and surpass our customer’s long-term requirements.”

With hopes of growing a record order book that includes Space X projects worth tens of millions of dollars, Filtronic is also hoping to capitalise on increased spending by Governments on secure satellite communications and next-generation defence systems. In recent months it has attracted a more diverse range of customers including a €7m agreement with a European space customer and a £13.4m contract with a leading European defence client.

Space Minister Liz Lloyd said: “The opening of this state-of-the-art facility is a clear demonstration of the strength and confidence within the UK’s space sector, and a powerful example of British industrial ambition in action. Filtronic is helping to reinforce the UK’s status as a world leader in cutting-edge communications technology.”

Filtronic’s technology is used in surface‑to‑space, space‑to‑space, and space‑to‑surface communications. The company says it is now the only high‑volume supplier of very high‑frequency solid‑state power amplifiers in the space sector.

Paul Bate, CEO, UK Space Agency, said: “Filtronic’s new facility at NETPark is a statement of intent for UK space manufacturing. Doubling their production footprint and dramatically expanding cleanroom capacity demonstrates exactly the kind of long-term industrial commitment that strengthens Britain’s capability in critical space technologies. As demand grows for high-performance RF solutions across satellite constellations and defence programmes, having world-class manufacturers of this calibre operating at scale in the UK are a significant asset.”