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Released September 10, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. aerospace sector has seen a boost in activity in recent years with the development of new defense weapons and goals for further space launches coming from both the public and private spheres. Industrial Info is tracking nearly $6.7 billion worth of U.S. projects, many driven by government contracts, for the manufacture of guided missile and space vehicle systems.
One of the largest of these projects kicked off earlier this year in Huntsville, Alabama, a major destination for aerospace projects. RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) (Waltham, Massachusetts), the new evolution of Raytheon, is adding a 26,000-square-foot building addition at its Huntsville site, which handles several contracts for defense agencies. The facility currently handles nine variants of what is referred as the "Standard Missile Family," and the expansion will allow RTX to accommodate additional defense programs, including the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), which will help intercept hypersonic vehicles in their vulnerable glide phase of flight. A hypersonic glide vehicle is a type of warhead for ballistic missiles that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speed, helping them evade air defenses. General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie LLC (Birmingham, Alabama) is expected to wrap up the project next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
A name very familiar in the defense industry, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) (Bethesda, Maryland), is at work on a missile-related project in nearby Courtland, Alabama. Lockheed Martin opened its Courtland facility in 2021, employing the most state-of-the-art digital manufacturing processes at the facility. Now the company is renovating 23,000 square feet of building space and adding 50,000 square feet to be used for the assembly of hypersonic glide bodies as well as harnesses and cables. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Moving into the space vehicle sector, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) (West Falls Church, Virginia), is expanding its rocket propulsion systems plant in Magma, Utah, in order to produce what the company claims is "the longest monolithic single-cast solid rocket motor ever produced." Measuring approximately 72 feet long and weighing more than 117,000 pounds, the GEM [Graphite Epoxy Motor] 63XL can provide more than 463,200 pounds of thrust at launch. The first GEM 63XL rocket boosters were delivered in 2022 to support the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance's (Centennial, Colorado) Vulcan Centaur rocket. To support the manufacture of these solid rocket boosters along with the smaller GEM 63, Northrup Grumman is constructing five building additions totaling approximately 25,000 square feet along that will house new production and supporting equipment. Construction is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Another company just began performing upgrades to its 92,000-square-foot facility in McHenry, Mississippi. Anduril Industries (Costa Mesa, California) is investing $75 million to help address what it calls a "limited supply of solid rocket motors and solid rocket motor production in the U.S." The company is addressing this by adding advanced robotics equipment and modular manufacturing systems that will allow it to build rocket motors faster and at a lower cost. When the project is finished early next year, Anduril's McHenry plant will begin ramping up production from the current 600 tactical-scale solid rocket motors per year to more than 6,000 per year. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
Also in the Huntsville, Alabama, area, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Enterprises LP (Kent, Washington) plans to construct a 400,000-square-foot building that will house production equipment and supporting systems for the manufacture of rocket engines as well as the lunar lander that will be used in the Artemis V moon mission. The mission involves flying the Blue Moon lander to the lunar south pole. There, two astronauts will remain on the surface for about one week, conducting science and exploration activities. As of March this year, NASA's budget revealed the mission would depart no earlier than 2030. Blue Origin's work at the Huntsville site is expected to begin in the second half of next year, putting it on track for completion in late 2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
One of the largest of these projects kicked off earlier this year in Huntsville, Alabama, a major destination for aerospace projects. RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) (Waltham, Massachusetts), the new evolution of Raytheon, is adding a 26,000-square-foot building addition at its Huntsville site, which handles several contracts for defense agencies. The facility currently handles nine variants of what is referred as the "Standard Missile Family," and the expansion will allow RTX to accommodate additional defense programs, including the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), which will help intercept hypersonic vehicles in their vulnerable glide phase of flight. A hypersonic glide vehicle is a type of warhead for ballistic missiles that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speed, helping them evade air defenses. General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie LLC (Birmingham, Alabama) is expected to wrap up the project next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.
A name very familiar in the defense industry, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) (Bethesda, Maryland), is at work on a missile-related project in nearby Courtland, Alabama. Lockheed Martin opened its Courtland facility in 2021, employing the most state-of-the-art digital manufacturing processes at the facility. Now the company is renovating 23,000 square feet of building space and adding 50,000 square feet to be used for the assembly of hypersonic glide bodies as well as harnesses and cables. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Moving into the space vehicle sector, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) (West Falls Church, Virginia), is expanding its rocket propulsion systems plant in Magma, Utah, in order to produce what the company claims is "the longest monolithic single-cast solid rocket motor ever produced." Measuring approximately 72 feet long and weighing more than 117,000 pounds, the GEM [Graphite Epoxy Motor] 63XL can provide more than 463,200 pounds of thrust at launch. The first GEM 63XL rocket boosters were delivered in 2022 to support the inaugural flight of United Launch Alliance's (Centennial, Colorado) Vulcan Centaur rocket. To support the manufacture of these solid rocket boosters along with the smaller GEM 63, Northrup Grumman is constructing five building additions totaling approximately 25,000 square feet along that will house new production and supporting equipment. Construction is expected to be completed early next year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.
Another company just began performing upgrades to its 92,000-square-foot facility in McHenry, Mississippi. Anduril Industries (Costa Mesa, California) is investing $75 million to help address what it calls a "limited supply of solid rocket motors and solid rocket motor production in the U.S." The company is addressing this by adding advanced robotics equipment and modular manufacturing systems that will allow it to build rocket motors faster and at a lower cost. When the project is finished early next year, Anduril's McHenry plant will begin ramping up production from the current 600 tactical-scale solid rocket motors per year to more than 6,000 per year. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
Also in the Huntsville, Alabama, area, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin Enterprises LP (Kent, Washington) plans to construct a 400,000-square-foot building that will house production equipment and supporting systems for the manufacture of rocket engines as well as the lunar lander that will be used in the Artemis V moon mission. The mission involves flying the Blue Moon lander to the lunar south pole. There, two astronauts will remain on the surface for about one week, conducting science and exploration activities. As of March this year, NASA's budget revealed the mission would depart no earlier than 2030. Blue Origin's work at the Huntsville site is expected to begin in the second half of next year, putting it on track for completion in late 2026. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).