6 trends fueling Alabama’s economic growth in 2020 and beyond
Alabama’s economy is humming on all cylinders as a new decade begins, with job rolls swelling to record numbers and an ultra-low unemployment rate as major industries expand their operations in the state. While the foundations are firmly in place for more growth, there are some trends unfolding across Alabama that are poised to add…
Officials welcome Airbus plans to expand Alabama A320 production
Alabama leaders hailed plans announced today by Airbus to increase production of A320 aircraft at the company’s Mobile manufacturing facility, where it will invest $40 million to construct a new support hangar. On top of a project to add a new A220 assembly line at the site, Airbus’ latest expansion pushes its total investment in…
Aerojet Rocketdyne: New Alabama manufacturing site ready for production
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Aerojet Rocketdyne said today that it is ready to begin producing large solid rocket motor carbon fiber cases in Alabama’s Rocket City following installation and calibration of a key machine at its new Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF). The state-of-the-art machine will be used to wind the carbon fibers that form the structural case of…
NASA Marshall expands ties with UA to advance in-space manufacturing
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville is expanding its partnership with The University of Alabama to collaborate on advanced and in-space manufacturing, a priority in the space agency’s efforts to take American astronauts back to the Moon and beyond. The agreement aims to enhance inventive research assisting space exploration and strengthen the education of…
Alabama’s ‘Rocket City’ shows off advantages at international space conference
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Huntsville team including business leaders, economic development specialists and elected officials is representing Alabama’s “Rocket City” at this week’s International Astronautical Congress (IAC), a major conference focusing on space. Huntsville is the only community to participate among 170-plus corporate, state and national exhibitors at the 70th annual IAC, which has attracted…
Raytheon’s next-generation Army radar will have Huntsville roots
Turns out, Alabama’s “Rocket City” knows a lot about radars, too. Huntsville picked up its nickname after serving as the cradle of the nation’s rocket program and hosting NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, a key player in the space program for decades. The North Alabama city is also a mecca for the defense industry and…
4 key reasons Alabama’s ‘Rocket City’ is best pick for Space Command HQ
Huntsville is in the running to be the headquarters of the new U.S. Space Command, a move that is a natural fit for Alabama’s Rocket City and its longtime support of space and defense programs. Goals of the new command are to better organize and advance the military’s extensive operations in space and to seek…
Dynetics opens advanced rocket-testing complex in North Alabama
DECATUR, Alabama – Dynetics today opened a rocket-testing facility in North Alabama that will help advance major programs such as NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the space agency’s most powerful rocket, and the United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur, a next-generation launch vehicle. Huntsville-based Dynetics said its Aerospace Structures Complex will support the development, integration and…
ULA’s Alabama-based RocketShip makes first delivery with new name
Many folks may know that the United Launch Alliance produces powerful rockets at a sprawling factory in Decatur. But few people probably realize that the ULA has its own rocket delivery ship based in the Alabama city. The R/S RocketShip, as it’s now called, is a 312-foot vessel designed specially to transport boosters and other…
Marshall Space Flight Center to lead NASA lander program in return to moon
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine today announced that the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville will lead the agency’s Human Landing System Program for its return to the Moon by 2024. Bridenstine made the announcement in front of the 149-foot-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket liquid hydrogen tank structural test article currently being tested at NASA’s Alabama…
