A global end-to-end space company is renovating the former Lockheed Martin Vertical Launch Building in Baltimore County and creating 65 full-time jobs in the process.

The 113,000 square-foot space will house Rocket Lab’s  new Space Structures Complex, which will manufacture composite products for spacecraft and rockets. The new facility expands Rocket Lab’s existing footprint in Maryland, where the company already operates a manufacturing facility for satellite separation systems and CubeSat dispensers in Silver Spring.

“Rocket Lab is a world leader in advanced composites through our launch and spacecraft programs, so this is a natural progression as we continue growing our space systems offering,” said Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck.

Founded in 2006, the company provides satellite design and manufacturing, space software and components, and reliable launch services to a wide range of customers including NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and the National Reconnaissance Office. Rocket Lab’s technology was also used in the James Webb Space Telescope, which was developed with help from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, and is operated from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

“It is a great opportunity for us to assist with Rocket Lab’s entrance into Baltimore County,” said Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson. “With our state’s close proximity to several federal and defense agencies, combined with Maryland’s abundance of talented tech and engineering workers, this facility is sure to bring much success to both Rocket Lab and Maryland’s innovative space industry.”

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