Startup Evolution Space has entered into an agreement with NASA’s Stennis Space Center to create a manufacturing and testing facility for solid rocket motors. The company plans to begin production in the second quarter of 2024.
Solid rocket engine startup Evolution Space has signed an agreement to establish manufacturing and testing operations at NASA’s Stennis Space Center.
On October 10, the company announced that it had reached an agreement to establish a manufacturing center at the former Mississippi Army Ammunition Facility, acquired by NASA in 2011 after it was deactivated by the U.S. Army.
Evolution Space plans to begin production of solid rocket motors in the second quarter of 2024 at a manufacturing center called the Minor Scale Propulsion Center. The company will also test its engines at the E-3 test facility complex in Stennis.
“By collaborating with NASA, we will be able to quickly create a facility that significantly enhances the U.S. solid rocket motor manufacturing capabilities,” said Manny Balestero, vice president of manufacturing and engineering at Evolution Space.
Startup Evolution Space opens solid rocket motor production center at NASA Stennis Space Center
Evolution Space develops solid rocket motors for defense and commercial applications. In the spring, the company successfully launched its engines on suborbital flights from the Mojave Desert and from a floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico, while also testing an offshore launch pad developed by The Spaceport Company for a real launch.
Evolution Space also announced it has closed an additional round of funding to continue operations at Stennis while it focuses on its Series A funding round. A company spokesperson said the funding was $1.2 million, but the company could not disclose the names of the investors.
Evolution Space became the first solid rocket motor company to operate in Stennis, where it primarily tests liquid rocket motors for NASA and several companies.
