Portfolio Aerospace & Satellite Models
Aerospace & Satellite Models
Custom aerospace & satellite model by KiwiMill, built for trade shows, sales, and training.
Aerospace and satellite models we build
KiwiMill builds models of rockets, launch pads, propulsion hardware, spacecraft instruments, and satellites for aerospace manufacturers, satellite operators, space agencies, and museums. The range runs from desktop pieces to full-size mockups: half-scale instrument mockups for customer presentations, a full-scale propulsion system in aluminum tubing and brass connectors, a structural ring machined from solid aluminum, and 1:200 launch pads with welded sheet-metal towers.
Satellites have been a steady part of our work for 60+ years: weather, navigation, communications, and science spacecraft from desktop size to full scale, often the same spacecraft at several scales at once. The details that make them look real are built in, from deployable array hinges and solar-cell patterns to foil and gold Mylar blankets and cutaways that show the instruments inside the bus. Metal goes wherever the structure takes stress, so the models survive shipping to shows around the world.
Recent Aerospace & Satellite Models
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Frequently asked questions
How much does an aerospace or satellite model cost?
Models typically start around $6,000. Multi-model projects often run $10,000 and up. For aerospace and satellite work, price depends on scale, surface detail (blankets, solar cells, antennas), whether arrays are deployed or stowed, any moving parts, and how many copies or scales you need. A quote is free.
What if we can't release our full CAD?
We don't need it. Released exterior geometry, drawings, or photographs are often enough. We've built satellites from a few line drawings, from photographs found online, and a full-scale 1958 satellite from old black-and-white photos. Tell us what you can share and we'll tell you what we can build from it.
Can you make multiple copies, or the same spacecraft at more than one scale?
Yes. After one spacecraft model, the customer ordered thirty more, and we've built one satellite at seven scales from 1/100 to 1/2. A common pairing is a large model for the booth or lobby and smaller ones for desks or a second show. For bigger runs we engineer the design for repeat production, as we did when we re-engineered a desktop rocket so it could be built in bulk.
Will solar arrays, antennas, and booms survive shipping?
We engineer the fragile parts for it. Array frames are laser cut from aluminum, tubing is joined with brass and epoxied, and when a customer's soldered-brass desktop rocket kept cracking in shipment, we rebuilt the frame in flexible 3D printed nylon. Every model ships in a Pelican or custom case.
Should we show the satellite deployed or stowed?
Deployed shows off the arrays and antennas but takes much more room on the table or overhead. Stowed is compact and tells the launch story, and a cutaway can show the instruments inside. Many customers order both, or one model with removable arrays. A deployed model can also hang above a booth or from a museum ceiling, with the hang points built into the structure.
Exhibiting at Space Symposium? See dates and start-by deadlines →
Have a project like these? Let's talk.
Send photos or CAD of your product plus your deadline — we'll come back with a price and a timeline. In 60+ years, we've never missed a client's show date.
Not ready for a quote? E-mail us — two sentences and a photo is plenty.