INDUSTRY NEWS Northrop Grumman Starts Satellite Facility Expansion in Arizona — Northrop Grumman has started the expansion work on its existing satellite engineering and manufacturing facility in Arizona. As part of this project, the facility will be expanded with 100,000 square feet of additional space. A new 120,000 sqaure-foot two-story administrative and engineering building will also be constructed. With these developments, the satellite production capacity will be doubled and create new employment opportunities. Jobs are also expected to be generated in specific fields such as engineering, manufacturing, and technology. When completed, these new facilities will help Northrop Grumman fulfill the increasing demand for satellites from its customers, including NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as commercial and international customers. The company’s existing facility is said to be one of the most advanced satellite assembly and test facilities in the U.S. Since the early 1990s, Northrop Grumman has been manufacturing satellites in Gilbert for a variety of domestic and international customers. The facility also caters to critical missions, including NASA’s Landsat 9, Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) satellites and other national security supporting programs. NASA Awards Contract to Launch CubeSat to Moon from Virginia — NASA has selected Rocket Lab of Huntington Beach, California, to provide launch services for the Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat. Rocket Lab, a commercial launch provider licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration, will launch the 55-pound CubeSat aboard an Electron rocket from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. After launch, the company’s Photon platform will deliver CAPSTONE to a trans-lunar injection. The engine firing will allow the CubeSat to break free of Earth’s gravity and head to the Moon. Then, CAPSTONE will use its own propulsion system to enter a cislunar orbit, which is the orbital area near and around the Moon. The mission is targeted for launch in early 2021 and will be the second lunar mission to launch from Virginia. Back to 2020-03-25 issue of C.E. Weekly Back to Members Base Camp Back to CJHunter Home Page