Alliant Techsystems (ATK) has begun work on a 25,000ft² expansion of its existing space facility in Goleta, California, US.

The expansion will support work for Nasa’s human space flight programme, global weather satellites and possible future spacecraft missions.

The addition will include clean room high bay, laboratories and additional office space.

The upgraded facility will allow ATK to continue to support national space programmes with products like UltraFlex solar arrays.

The 18ft diameter solar arrays will provide power to Nasa’s Orion crew exploration vehicle on its missions to low-Earth orbit, the moon and other destinations.

The expansion will also aid in production of large solar arrays for a series of four national polar-orbiting operational environmental satellite system (NPOESS) spacecraft.

NPOESS is a family of next-generation low-Earth orbiting environmental satellites that provide global coverage, monitoring environmental conditions, collecting, disseminating and processing data about the Earth’s weather, atmosphere, oceans, land and near-space environment.

Currently, the facility has 70,000ft² of production, engineering and office space used primarily to design and build advanced solar arrays and lightweight space deployables.