Moog UK (space)

The UK space operation of the American precision-control company Moog, with a site in Reading that finishes and tests spacecraft such as the SL-OMV orbital manoeuvring vehicle.

About Moog UK (space)

Moog is a designer and manufacturer of precision control components and systems, and in the UK it has a space business with a base in Reading, Berkshire. That site handles the final integration and testing of the Small Launch Orbital Manoeuvring Vehicle, or SL-OMV, a small spacecraft that can release up to six CubeSat satellites into orbit. Moog's wider space products include space vehicles and tugs, advanced avionics, life support components, solar array drives, vibration isolators and a secondary payload adapter called ESPA.

Moog says it has supported the European space market for more than 55 years, and supplied the chemical propulsion system for all the Galileo satellites and parts of the European Service Module for NASA's Artemis programme. In the UK, Moog is working with Lockheed Martin and the UK Space Agency on the first scheduled launch of the SL-OMV under the UK Spaceflight Programme, from the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland. It has also developed advanced computing for spacecraft with a Swedish partner, Unibap.

We did not find a mission statement for Moog's UK space operation. A 2023 company article described the wider company in the UK as having over 1,000 employees across nine locations and more than fifty years of history. It said Moog is one of the largest employers in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where a new 209,000 square foot factory opened to bring three older buildings together. That factory is aimed at engines and flight controls rather than space. The space work is mainly at Reading.

The Reading site grew from 33,000 to 43,000 square feet and added an ISO 8 clean room, a thermal chamber and a GPS antenna. It serves the local supply chain as well as Moog's own teams. Moog's pages mention a world-class mechanisms team, but give no information on leaders or on the daily culture, so we have not guessed. The 2022 Lockheed Martin update says the SL-OMV uses leading UK suppliers for key components, which suggests a network of smaller firms around it.

Jobs in a team like this include mechanical and electrical engineers, avionics and software developers, test technicians who run vibration, thermal and electromagnetic checks, production and quality staff, and project managers. Mechanisms engineering, where moving parts such as solar array drives must work in the vacuum of space, is a specialist field that relies on strong maths and practical skills. See the Moog website for what is available now.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Small spacecraft such as the SL-OMV that deploy satellites into orbit.', 'title': 'Space vehicles and tugs'}
• {'desc': 'Spacecraft computers, solar array drives and other moving parts.', 'title': 'Avionics and mechanisms'}
• {'desc': 'Cleanroom and thermal testing at Reading for spacecraft and the local supply chain.', 'title': 'Integration and testing'}

Key facts

• Reading, Berkshire site expanded from 33,000 to 43,000 square feet with an ISO 8 clean room and thermal chamber
• Builds and tests the SL-OMV for the UK Pathfinder launch with Lockheed Martin and the UK Space Agency
• Over 1,000 UK employees across nine UK locations (2023 company article, whole company)
• Supports the European space market for more than 55 years

Website: www.moog.com