---
title: "L3Harris uses additive manufacturing to cut satellite thruster lead times by up to 12 months"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/l3harris-uses-additive-manufacturing-to-cut-satellite-thruster-lead-times-by-up-to-12-months/
date: 2026-04-13
modified: 2026-04-13
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "L3Harris Technologies has been shifting production of in-space satellite thrusters from conventional machining to additive manufacturing in a bid to reduce delivery times for US national security space programs. Thrusters..."
categories:
  - "Additive Manufacturing"
  - "Aerospace AM"
  - "AM for Space"
  - "Metal Additive Manufacturing"
tags:
  - "insights"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/L3Harris-02-640x400.jpg
word_count: 342
---

# L3Harris uses additive manufacturing to cut satellite thruster lead times by up to 12 months

[L3Harris Technologies](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/l3harris/) has been shifting production of in-space satellite thrusters from conventional machining to additive manufacturing in a bid to reduce delivery times for [US national security space programs](https://www.voxelmatters.com/nasa-jpl-deploys-am-manufactured-mechanism-aboard-proteus-space-satellite/).

Thrusters — used for satellite deployment, orientation, and maneuvering — have historically taken an average of 18 months from order to delivery, making them among the slowest components in the satellite manufacturing chain.

“Our objective is to enable significantly reduced lead times on propulsion systems that traditionally have been a bottleneck,” stated Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion and Power Systems, L3Harris. “The goal is to remove up to 12 months from the in-space propulsion system delivery equation and we're well on track to achieve that.”

![L3Harris uses additive manufacturing to cut satellite thruster lead times by up to 12 months](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/L3Harris-01-340x340.jpg)

The transition centers on L3Harris' facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, acquired through the company's 2019 purchase of 3D Materials Technology. The site now produces nozzles, manifolds, and combustion chambers that were previously machined at other L3Harris locations. Many of these parts are made from [niobium and other high-strength, heat-resistant metals suited to spaceflight](https://www.voxelmatters.com/velo3d-to-qualify-amaeros-niobium-c103-and-titanium-ti-6al-4v-powders/). 

However, subtractive machining of large billets of such materials generates significant material waste, while purchasing the same metals in powdered form for AM application is both less costly and easier to store.

[The primary process in use at the facility is laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)](https://www.voxelmatters.com/researchers-improve-processes-and-powders-for-lpbf/). L3Harris believes it has addressed one of AM's persistent challenges — output variability between identical machines — through extensive testing and process refinement, to open up production at volume.

“The idea is to have multiple machines running simultaneously to achieve scale,” Houston said. “L3Harris-built thrusters with additively manufactured components are now flight-proven on national security satellites, both experimental and operational.”

Beyond satellite thrusters, AM is also being applied to L3Harris' RL10 engine, which powers the upper stage of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket family. The company is additionally stockpiling valves and shared components across different propulsion platforms to further reduce lead times.

“We've been perfecting this over a decade,” Houston added. “We've got the infrastructure and people with the proper training in place. We're already demonstrating high production rates.”