AEROSPACE
Lift off
With aerospace manufacturing and space programmes continuing to accelerate, OCH explores how the industry’s rapid expansion is driving demand for advanced overhead lifting solutions. How are overhead cranes supporting the safe, precise handling of high-value aircraft components, engines and space hardware, at a time when the aerospace sector is undergoing such rapid development?
O
n 10 April 2026, four astronauts returned to earth after ten days in space. Their historic mission, called Artemis II, took them on
a round trip of more than a million kilometres, to the moon and back. Although this was just a flyby – meaning the astronauts did not land – it was nonetheless a historic accomplishment, marking the first time humans had circled the moon since 1972. They also ventured further from Earth than any person has gone before. More broadly, Artemis II spells the start of a new era for space exploration, with many further missions expected to come. NASA’s Artemis programme is now building towards a scheduled crew moon landing in early 2028, in which astronauts will touch down on the lunar south pole. After that, crews are expected to land every six months, with a view to gradually building a base on the surface. “Fifty-three years ago, humanity left the moon.
This time we return to stay,” said NASA’s associate administrator Amit Kshatriya after the astronauts landed back on Earth. Chinese scientists are also working to land
astronauts on the moon by 2030, and to build a permanent settlement there by 2040. With the modern space race heating up, the implications for the spacecraft manufacturing sector will be profound. In simple terms, more missions mean more rockets, launch systems and spacecraft, along with the technologies needed to get them into production. According to the Space Foundation, the global space economy reached values of $570bn in 2023, nearly double the figure from ten years previously. That figure could top $2trn by 2040, as technology in the field advances, reusable launch systems become more prevalent and launch costs continue to decline.
We are seeing a similar shift within a related industry – aircraft manufacturing. Last year, the aerospace and defence industry surpassed $1trn in annual revenue for the first time, with much of that growth stemming from commercial aviation. Indeed, as passenger travel reaches new records, aircraft manufacturers are struggling to keep pace with the demand. The cranes sector is poised to be a key beneficiary of this growth. While cranes have been used in aircraft and spacecraft production for years, they are arguably becoming even more essential. As manufacturing processes change, so will the types of cranes recruited for the purpose, along with the way they’re used.
Bigger is better So why are cranes so important to this sector? Let’s start by considering how manufacturing an aircraft compares to manufacturing a car. The latter is easier on several fronts. Cars can be produced in large numbers on high-speed assembly lines, whereas aircraft assembly requires a high degree of manual labour. Very few aircraft are produced, relative to cars, meaning the capital investment per unit is much higher. The supply chains are more complex for aircraft, the quality control more exacting and the consequences of a failure more devastating.
But perhaps the most obvious point of
difference relates to size. The world’s largest passenger plane, an Airbus A380, measures 73m long with a wingspan of 80m. That’s wider than a football pitch, and only slightly shorter. Meanwhile, the SpaceX Starship measures 124m tall and 9m wide. Laid down, it would extend out of that football pitch and into the stands. The components used can be similarly
gargantuan. The fuselage sections, the wings,
ochmagazine.com | Fall 2026 71
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