Area Development
Northrop Grumman Corporation started construction on a new $20 million Maryland Space Assembly and Test facility adjacent to Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The 25,000-square-foot building is designed to handle space payload integration programs.

The M-SAT space assembly, integration and test building will feature the largest clean room facility on the company's Baltimore campus, a three-story high-bay area that will house operations for space programs. Northrop Grumman currently develops and delivers space payloads at its Baltimore campus utilizing several smaller space assembly facilities. This new, larger building will allow for expanded payload production to meet growth in the company's space business.

The building will house up to 80 engineers and technicians working on space systems assembly, integration and test. The facility will also contain office space for collating the integration and test staff, and a lab space for test bed development and testing. Construction of the new facility is being led by Patriot Contractors LLC, a Maryland-based, veteran-owned general contractor, and is expected to be completed during the summer of 2015.

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

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said, "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."