Tammy Dudley
Mississippi: Launching the Future of Space and Aerospace Innovation
For decades, Mississippi has been an aerospace pioneer. Today, companies throughout the state produce everything from composite jet engine components to helicopters to 3D-printed rockets. Mississippi is home to world-class aerospace R&D, testing and evaluation facilities, which anchor an impressive aerospace ecosystem that’s transforming the future of aerospace.
In 1961, Hancock County, Mississippi, was chosen as the site of a static-fire test facility for the Apollo program. Since then, NASA’s Stennis Space Center has been at the forefront of space exploration, housing the nation’s largest rocket engine test complex and some of the industry’s most influential players.
“If you want to go to the Moon, you first have to go through Hancock County, Mississippi.” That phrase, popular in the 1960s and ‘70s, still rings true today. Mississippi-based aerospace and space companies play a vital role in returning humans to the Moon—and beyond.
In fact, since 2020, Stennis has been awarded more than $2 billion in federal contracts, and it currently is home to 50+ resident tenants employing more than 5,200 people. With a 125,000-acre acoustical buffer zone, tenants can “bring the boom” without disruption. Companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne, Relativity, Rocket Lab and Evolution Space are just a few of the companies turning up the volume at Stennis, investing millions and creating high-tech jobs while steadily building upon Mississippi’s stellar legacy in space innovation.
While Stennis is a national hub for space exploration, space innovation is happening across the state. In Iuka, Northrop Grumman produces composite structures for Antares, Pegasus and Minotaur launch vehicles. General Atomics builds solid rocket motors in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. In McHenry, Anduril produces tactical-scale solid rocket motors and propellants.
Other major players shaking up the industry from Mississippi include Airbus Helicopters, which operates its North American engineering center in Columbus where it produces military and civilian rotorcraft; and Rolls-Royce, which tests the world’s most advanced jet engines at Stennis to ensure their reliability for commercial and military aircraft. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Stark Aerospace—the list goes on. These global leaders manufacture uncrewed aerial systems, military aircraft components, missile systems, rocket engines satellite technologies and so much more in communities throughout the state.
With its pro-business policies and skilled aerospace talent pool, Mississippi is the optimal location for companies aiming for the skies, stars and beyond. Explore mississippi.org, and let us get to work for you.
For decades, Mississippi has been an aerospace pioneer. Today, companies throughout the state produce everything from composite jet engine components to helicopters to 3D-printed rockets. Mississippi is home to world-class aerospace R&D, testing and evaluation facilities, which anchor an impressive aerospace ecosystem that’s transforming the future of aerospace.
In 1961, Hancock County, Mississippi, was chosen as the site of a static-fire test facility for the Apollo program. Since then, NASA’s Stennis Space Center has been at the forefront of space exploration, housing the nation’s largest rocket engine test complex and some of the industry’s most influential players.
“If you want to go to the Moon, you first have to go through Hancock County, Mississippi.” That phrase, popular in the 1960s and ‘70s, still rings true today. Mississippi-based aerospace and space companies play a vital role in returning humans to the Moon—and beyond.
In fact, since 2020, Stennis has been awarded more than $2 billion in federal contracts, and it currently is home to 50+ resident tenants employing more than 5,200 people. With a 125,000-acre acoustical buffer zone, tenants can “bring the boom” without disruption. Companies like Aerojet Rocketdyne, Relativity, Rocket Lab and Evolution Space are just a few of the companies turning up the volume at Stennis, investing millions and creating high-tech jobs while steadily building upon Mississippi’s stellar legacy in space innovation.
While Stennis is a national hub for space exploration, space innovation is happening across the state. In Iuka, Northrop Grumman produces composite structures for Antares, Pegasus and Minotaur launch vehicles. General Atomics builds solid rocket motors in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense. In McHenry, Anduril produces tactical-scale solid rocket motors and propellants.
Other major players shaking up the industry from Mississippi include Airbus Helicopters, which operates its North American engineering center in Columbus where it produces military and civilian rotorcraft; and Rolls-Royce, which tests the world’s most advanced jet engines at Stennis to ensure their reliability for commercial and military aircraft. Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Stark Aerospace—the list goes on. These global leaders manufacture uncrewed aerial systems, military aircraft components, missile systems, rocket engines satellite technologies and so much more in communities throughout the state.
With its pro-business policies and skilled aerospace talent pool, Mississippi is the optimal location for companies aiming for the skies, stars and beyond. Explore mississippi.org, and let us get to work for you.
