Northrop Breaks Ground on New MD Facility

Northrop Grumman Corporation, the leading global security company, broke ground this week on its new $20 million space payload facility adjacent to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). The Maryland Space Assembly and Test (M-SAT) facility will be a 25,000-square-foot building designed to handle space payload integration programs, which will feature the largest clean room facility on the company's Baltimore campus, and a three-story high-bay area that will house operations for space programs. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday with U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin and U.S. Reps. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes in attendance.

"Northrop Grumman is committed to finding more affordable solutions to the nation's needs for critical space systems," said Gloria Flach, corporate vice president and president, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. "This new M-SAT facility will enable us to meet our customers' space integration, assembly and test requirements more efficiently and affordably."

"I congratulate the men and women of Northrop Grumman on the construction of this new facility in Linthicum, which will support the company's space payload business," said Senator Barbara Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I'm in the business of helping business, and I have been advocating to keep this business right here in Maryland. By retaining top scientists and engineers in their fields, we are supporting jobs that keep our nation safer and Maryland's economy stronger."

"Northrop Grumman understands that when something is 'Made in Maryland,' it is the best in the world. I am proud to join in the groundbreaking for this state-of-the-art space assembly facility that will keep our state at the epicenter of space and technological innovation," said Cardin. "During such a tough and unpredictable budget environment, I applaud the people of Northrop Grumman for their resourcefulness in finding more efficient and affordable solutions to America's needs for critical space systems."

"Baltimore has long been home to Northrop Grumman and, now, they are choosing to grow here because of our second-to-none workforce," said Ruppersberger. "This investment will not only create local jobs, it will cement Maryland's reputation as a national space leader and drive the innovation that will help us win the global space race."

The building will employ 150 people through construction, according to a Baltimore Sun article. Once complete, it will house 80 engineers and technicians, though up to 60% of the jobs will be filled by existing Northrop Grumman employees. Construction of the new facility is being led by Patriot Contractors, a Maryland-based, veteran-owned general contractor, and is expected to be completed during the summer of 2015.

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