The launch of this new Orbital ATK venture brought out Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and the Mayor of Chandler Jay Tibshraeny in anticipation of the positive aspects of a huge facility and thousands of new jobs at a major new aerospace production facility.
Orbital ATK's major aerospace and defense technology firms announced the expansion of the company’s launch vehicles operations onto a new campus in Chandler, Arizona.
Chandler City Council approved a resolution and rezoning to support the development of the new Orbital ATK campus at Willis Road along Chandler’s Price Corridor focused on advanced business services, aerospace, life sciences, sustainable and high technology research and manufacturing.
With the expansion, Orbital ATK will occupy 617,000 square feet in two buildings on a 47-acre campus. Manufacturing space will account for 261,000 square feet. With additional facilities in Arizona, Orbital ATK’s total footprint in the state is more than 892,000 square feet, directly supporting more than 2,200 high-tech and high-paying aerospace and defense jobs with a total payroll of more than $170 million in Arizona.
Orbital ATK’s new campus is a result of recent growth as well as projected future work. In 2017, Orbital ATK hired 250 employees at its Chandler facility. The company has plans to fill 200 open positions and eventually expand its Chandler workforce by another 50 employees over the next year-and-a-half. These jobs are part of the Chandler launch vehicles division’s expansion plan that was announced in November 2016. They are full-time, high-wage jobs, two-thirds of which are in engineering. Orbital ATK’s launch vehicle business in Chandler began in the 1980s and has grown to nearly 1,600 employees. The business provides rockets for commercial, civil and government customers.
The additional jobs complement Arizona’s robust aerospace and defense sector, which contributes $11.7 billion annually to the Arizona economy and employs more than 54,600 workers.
Governor Doug Ducey stated that this latest expansion of Orbital ATK’s Chandler operation is a testament to the quality of Arizona’s talent and the ideal operating environment their state provides for aerospace and defense industry leaders. They are thrilled that Orbital ATK continues to grow in Arizona and they thank the company for this significant investment.
Rich Straka, Vice President and General Manager of Orbital ATK’s Launch Vehicles Division, said he is looking forward to expanding the company’s business in Chandler. The launch vehicles they 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. They appreciate the State of Arizona and City of Chandler for providing support that enables Orbital ATK to continue to execute on these vital programs for their country.
This project will add to the growing landscape of high-wage Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) jobs in Chandler and the state.
Sandra Watson, Arizona Commerce Authority President & CEO added that the growth of Orbital ATK’s Launch Vehicles division into this new, state-of-the-art campus is exciting news for the company and for their state. This project will further advance Arizona’s reputation as a national leader in aerospace and defense.
Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny said he appreciated Orbital ATK’s continued faith in the City expressed through their selection of Chandler for this expansion project. Orbital ATK has long been an anchor on the Price Corridor and a vital contributor to Chandler's reputation as the Innovation and Technology Hub of the Southwest. They have seen a number of Chandler companies expand their workforces this past year, and these new, high-level engineering jobs will have a tremendous impact to the region as Orbital ATK continues its strong investment in Chandler.
Today, Orbital ATK has hundreds of high-tech job openings that it is seeking to fill at its facilities in Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa, Arizona for more information and to apply online, please visit.