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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Switzerland-Based Beyond Gravity Plans Decatur, Alabama, Operations

10/31/2022
Switzerland-based Beyond Gravity, a manufacturer of structures for launch vehicles, will add a new production facility in Decatur, Alabama. The project is expected to create 200 jobs in Morgan County.

The new 250,000-square-foot production building will include 30,0000-square-feet of warehouse space and another 20,000-square-feet for offices. The facility, planned for completion in early 2024, will provide additional payload fairings for the United Launch Alliance’s next-generation Alabama-built Vulcan rockets.

“I am very proud that the Vulcan launch vehicles that will carry the Kuiper constellation into space rely on our leading-edge and proven technology in the field of composite structures,” said André Wall, CEO of Beyond Gravity.

The expansion follows the company’s selection by ULA to supply 38 payload fairings for Vulcan rockets launching satellites as part of Amazon’s Project Kuiper. ULA, which operates America’s largest rocket factory in Decatur, and Beyond Gravity have had a strategic partnership to produce composite structures for ULA rockets since 2015.

“We have a long history of a strong partnership with Beyond Gravity and look forward to continuing the great work as we increase our launch rate for our Vulcan launch vehicle,” noted Tory Bruno, CEO of ULA.

Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space), headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, currently has approximately 1,700 employees at 12 locations in six countries (Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, USA and Finland). The company develops and manufactures products for satellites and launch vehicles. Beyond Gravity is a leader in selected satellite products and for constellations in the New Space sector.

“Alabama has long been a major player in designing and manufacturing the most innovative, complex solutions to conquer skies and space, and we are continuing to influence the direction of the global industry today,” noted Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “Companies around the world know our workforce has proven itself, time and time again, and that’s why they keep turning to Alabama to help solve the industry’s biggest challenges through groundbreaking work.”

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