ACT acquires Canyon Composites. ACT Anaheim employees inspect a custom composite structure. Photo: ACT

Advanced Cooling Technologies (ACT), which provides thermal management solutions for spacecraft, has acquired Canyon Composites, a move that allows the company to provide full thermal control systems. 

ACT, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is a leading supplier of heat pipes, which take heat from payload electronics to radiator surface areas onboard spacecraft. Bryan Muzyka, vice president of Sales & Marketing for ACT, told Via Satellite that the company would previously source radiator panels from suppliers and this acquisition brings the capability in-house. 

“With this acquisition, we can provide the full package from conceptual design to flight hardware of the complete thermal control system,” Muzyka said. “This acquisition will provide improved development cycles and streamlined manufacturing from start to finish.” 

Canyon Composites manufactures advanced composite and metallic components and structures for space, aerospace, defense, and industrial markets and its customers include Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin, and Boeing. The company is based in Anaheim, California, which ACT said adds a strategic geographic presence on the West Coast.

ACT is announcing the completed acquisition on Wednesday. Both companies are privately held and terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. 

Muzyka says that ACT has been on a growth path as the company saw growing demand in the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite market with a reduction in launch costs and growing demand for broadband connectivity. In recent years, the company increased floorspace, equipment, and personnel in its aluminum-ammonia Constant Conductance Heat Pipe product line that increased capacity from 2,000 pipes per year to over 20,000 pipes per year.

“It’s been an order of magnitude shift in our manufacturing capacity and the market demand,” Muzyka said. “Similar to the Canyon acquisition, ACT is always willing to invest in projects that add value to our customer base and advance the space industry as a whole.” 

Canyon’s Anaheim facility and its workforce will become part of ACT. 

“Joining ACT is an exciting opportunity for Canyon,” BJ Rutkoski, president of Canyon Composites said in a release. “Our teams share a commitment to excellence, innovation, and customer success and we look forward to growing our position as part of ACT”