Astro Pak, the US-based passivation, high purity and precision cleaning services company, is set to open a renovated site in Florida. Located just outside of the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the 38,000 sq ft is scheduled to open this summer.
The company said the investment aims to continue supporting onsite work at KSC on such projects as the ongoing work at the mobile launch platform (MLP) in support of NASA’s upcoming space launch system (SLS).
The new location’s signature feature is a 15’x15’ tower (70 ft vertical), which enables the processing of hoses up to 60 ft in length.
In addition to the larger footprint, Astro Pak’s capabilities in Florida are also expanding. An ISO 7 cleanroom and accompanying ISO 6 lab are joined by a shop area with a 4K ton bridge crane and large aqueous processing tanks, a pre-clean area with multiple workstations and ultrasonic units and expanded hydrostatic, hydraulic and pneumatic testing capabilities.
“This facility represents both the completion of the Chemko acquisition and an evolutionary step forward for Astro Pak,” said Jonathan Hopkins, general manager of Chemko. “We will be combining our world-class precision cleaning services and our industry-leading field operations teams under the same roof. As a result, we will be able to support our customers both on the Space Coast and throughout the southeast region with an unmatched level of efficiency and value.”
The Astro Pak Titusville facility marks the completion of a process that began when Astro Pak acquired Chemko Technical Services in 2016. Chemko has been meeting the needs of its clients – both private and government – since 1972.
The Titusville location more than quadruples the floor space available in its current Northern Brevard County building and joins the company’s 35,000 sq ft legacy facility in Downey, California.
Astro Pak made its name with precision cleaning services back in the 1960’s. Processing in a controlled environment, cleanliness verification for particle count, TFS, NVR, vacuum sealed packaging, cold shock, and pressure testing are just a few of the cleaning, packaging and testing services available.
The facility is further supported by a brand-new, state-of-the-art cleanroom trailer, which allows for onsite support in addition to the in-house services.