Sodern, a subsidiary of ArianeGroup, is a French company specializing in space instrumentation, optics, and neutron analyzers. They are the world leader in star trackers, which enable satellites to orient themselves in space, equipping over 60 customers and 350+ satellites. Sodern also designs cameras for various missions, including navigation, Earth observation, and space surveillance, partnering with major space agencies like NASA and ESA.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Sodern cited Colorado as a space hub with access to customers on both coasts.
Sodern will establish full production and manufacturing in the U.S. for the Auriga star tracker.
Sodern established Sodern America on January 14 and hired Tiphaine Louradour as CEO of the subsidiary.
Sodern is expanding to the U.S. by adding manufacturing for its star trackers in Colorado.
Sodern will also set up advanced testing facilities for the Hydra star trackers in the U.S.
Sodern currently has over 40 customers in the U.S.
Sodern has been considering the U.S. expansion for several years.
The expansion aims to better meet the needs of the U.S. market and expand Sodern's business in the U.S.
Sodern is expanding into space cameras, which are used for rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and space situational awareness.
The Sodern America office is anticipated to open in mid-summer.
Sodern's star trackers are used on satellites across various orbits and applications by prime contractors and commercial companies including Lockheed Martin, AST SpaceMobile, and Varda Space Industries.
Sodern America is the company's first subsidiary outside of France.
Sodern emphasizes the importance of maintaining the reliability and quality of its star trackers at the new production facility.
Sodern has been monitoring U.S. tariffs on non-U.S. goods but these tariffs are not the reason for its U.S. expansion.
Tiphaine Louradour has worked as a U.S. business partner for Sodern for the past two years.
The decision to open Sodern America was based on customer discussions indicating that the U.S. market would be more accessible from within the U.S.
Construction of the Sodern America office is set to start in the coming weeks.
The HYDRA-CP optical head from Sodern requires a supply voltage of 4.5–7 V, consumes 0.8–1 W, operates at frequencies up to 10 Hz with an output rate of 8–10 Hz, has a mass of 1.4 kg, measures 166 x 160 x 0.283 m, and has a lifetime of up to 10 years in LEO and 18 years in GEO.
Eutelsat has partnered with Sodern to design and build the onboard space sensor, drawing on Sodern’s experience in the development and production of cameras for SSA applications.
Redwire and Sodern signed a teaming agreement on 2022-09-12 to allow Redwire to manufacture in the United States a star tracker based on Sodern’s Hydra.