Last week it was announced by Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey and Mayor Jay Tibshaeny of Chandler, that a new campus for Orbital ATK will be built in Chandler. Orbital ATK is a Gilbert- based company who specializes in aerospace defense and manufacturing. The new Chandler campus will consist of two buildings totaling 617,000 square feet; the new site is located on 47 acres near the Looop 202 and Price Road.
Governor Ducey stated that the latest expansion “is a testament to the quality of Arizona’s Talent and the ideal operating environment our state provides for aerospace and defense industry leaders.” He went on to thank Orbital ATK for their “significant investment” as it is expected that the new Chandler campus will perpetuate job growth.
The Launch Vehicles Division will use the new facility for operations. There has been nearly 1,600 jobs created since the 1980’s when the launch vehicles division began. “The launch vehicles we design and manufacture here are instrumental in providing cargo to the crews on the International Space Station, space and earth science, and in defending the nation,” stated Rich Straka, the current Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s launch vehicles division.
So far, there were 250 employees hired in 2017 with another 200 open positions available. Additional jobs include at least 50 more new employees in the next eighteen months. The first major project for the new campus appears to be a new land surface mapping satellite to be built for NASA and launched in 2020.
