LONG BEACH, Calif., November 25, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB), a global leader in launch services and space systems, (“Rocket Lab” or the “Company”) ) has been awarded $23.9 million by the U.S. Department of Commerce to expand compound semiconductor manufacturing and production capacity at its Albuquerque, New Mexico, facility. Rocket Lab’s semiconductors are used in space-grade solar cells and other optoelectronic products, which are critical components for national security and commercial applications.
Earlier this year, the company announced that it had signed a preliminary term sheet for funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. This award highlights Rocket Lab’s vital role in the U.S. innovation and space industry supply chain. The funding will enhance manufacturing capacity at the company’s New Mexico facility, allowing Rocket Lab to scale up semiconductor production to meet rapidly growing demand. Specifically, the space-grade solar cells manufactured by Rocket Lab power satellites that require high reliability and optimal performance in extreme environments.
“We are proud to be a part of this effort to revitalize and grow the nation’s domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities. This award secures U.S. leadership in compound semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and is a great addition to space-grade solar cell manufacturing. ,” said Brad Clevenger, vice president of Rocket Lab Space Systems. “This investment will enable Rocket Lab to expand production in New Mexico, create highly skilled manufacturing jobs, and generate economic and workforce development activity.”
Rocket Lab is one of only two companies in the United States that specializes in manufacturing highly efficient, radiation-resistant, space-grade solar cells. Rocket Lab’s solar facility has served as Albuquerque’s technology hub for the past 25 years, employing more than 370 people and providing more than 4 megawatts of power to more than 1,100 satellites in orbit. . In addition to hundreds of commercial communications satellites, Rocket Lab’s products are used in critical missions such as early missile warning and interplanetary science missions, the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA’s Artemis lunar probe, the Ingenuity Mars helicopter, and the Mars Insight lander. enable the space program.
+ About Rocket Lab
Founded in 2006, Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company with an established track record of mission success. We provide reliable launch services, satellite manufacturing, spacecraft components, and in-orbit management solutions that make access to space faster, easier, and more affordable. Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, California, designs and manufactures the Electron small orbital launch vehicle, a family of spacecraft platforms, and the company is developing the large Neutron launch vehicle for constellation deployments. Since its first launch into orbit in January 2018, Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle has become the second most frequently launched vehicle in the United States annually, delivering 198 satellites into orbit for private and public sector organizations. and enabled operations in the fields of national security, scientific research, and space debris mitigation. , Earth observation, climate monitoring, and communications. Rocket Lab’s spacecraft platform was selected to support NASA missions to the Moon and Mars, as well as the first private commercial mission to Venus. Rocket Lab has three launch pads at two launch sites, including two at a commercial orbital launch site in New Zealand and a third in Virginia. For more information, please visit www.rocketlabusa.com.
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