Orbital ATK expands aerospace engineering operations, adds STEM jobs in Arizona

GILBERT, Ariz., 18 March 2016. Officials atOrbital ATK, an aerospace and defense technology firm with headquarters in Dulles, Virgina, are expanding the company’s aerospace engineering operations in Gilbert, Arizona.

The expansion will add 60,000 square feet to the site that includes Orbital ATK’s Satellite Manufacturing Facility, one of the largest and most advanced spacecraft assembly and test facilities in the United States, officials say. With additional facilities in Chandler and Mesa, Arizona, Orbital ATK’s total footprint in the state is almost 800,000 square feet, contributing to over 1,750 high-tech and high-paying aerospace and defense jobs.

The project will create a projected 155 full-time, high-wage jobs over a five-year period. Orbital ATK’s heritage satellite business began in Gilbert in 1989 and currently has 261 employees working at the existing site.

“Orbital ATK has been developing satellites in the Gilbert area for more than 25 years through our heritage business,” explains Orbital ATK’s Gilbert Site Director Rick Kettner. “Today, our facility in Gilbert produces cutting-edge satellites for a variety of customers both domestic and international. This cooperative agreement with the state of Arizona and Gilbert helps ensure we will continue to do so for years to come.”

“A company like Orbital ATK could have expanded its operations elsewhere in the country. The fact that they plan to continue to invest in our great community is a testament to our mutually beneficial relationship and Gilbert’s focus on growing STEM occupations in aerospace and manufacturing sectors,” says Arizona Governor Doug Ducey.

The expansion plans complement Arizona’s robust aerospace and defense sector that contributes $38 billion annually to the Arizona economy and employs more than 52,000 workers.

“I am thrilled that one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world once again has selected Arizona for its expansion plans, and to support its critical operations,” adds Governor Ducey. “Arizona is a major player globally when it comes to aerospace, defense and avionics – and we continue to grow. This is a great partnership.”

This project will add to the growing landscape of high-wage Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs in Gilbert and the state.

Orbital ATK designs, builds, and delivers space, defense, and aviation systems for customers around the world, both as a prime contractor and merchant supplier. Its main products include launch vehicles and related propulsion systems; missile products, subsystems and defense electronics; precision weapons, armament systems and ammunition; satellites and associated space components and services; and advanced aerospace structures. Headquartered in Dulles, Virginia, Orbital ATK employs approximately 12,000 people in 18 states across the U.S. and in several international locations.

The Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) is the state’s leading economic development organization with a streamlined mission to grow and strengthen Arizona’s economy. The ACA uses a three-pronged approach to advance the overall economy: recruit, grow, create – recruit out-of-state companies to expand their operations in Arizona; work with existing companies to grow their business in Arizona and beyond; and partner with entrepreneurs and companies large and small to create new jobs and businesses in targeted industries.

Located in the southeast valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area, Gilbert, Arizona has a resident base of around 235,000 and is nationally recognized as the 22nd best place to live in the nation (CNN/Money Magazine, 2014); 2nd safest community in the nation (FBI Uniform Crime Report Data, 2015); 3rd best city to find a job (WalletHub, 2015) and has the highest median income in the nation (WalletHub, 2015). The community promotes commercial investment opportunities for innovation-based industries such as aerospace and aviation, health and life science, clean technology and alternative energy, advanced business services, and manufacturing.