Redwire Opens New Rapid Capabilities Facility in Albuquerque

(Jacksonville, Florida) Space and defense technology solutions company Redwire Corporation (NYSE: RDW) announced today (Sept. 111) that it has opened a new, 15,000 square foot rapid capabilities facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico to advance the development of space-based defense systems.

Photo of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the opening of Redwire Corporation’s new rapid capabilities facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico courtesy of Redwire Space.

The facility, known as the Firestone Rapid Capabilities Facility (AFRL), marks Redwire’s latest investment in the Albuquerque region, where the company maintains a long-standing footprint as a key partner for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), according to today’s press release from Redwire.

As a key proponent of New Mexico’s space industrial base, Redwire’s FRCF can provide government customers including AFRL, U.S. Space Force’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratories and commercial aerospace and defense partners with additional capabilities to support their missions, according to today’s press release.

Per Redwire, the new facility will specifically support a wide range of capabilities for space, missile defense, and other emerging warfighting domains, including:

• “strategic systems assembly, integration, and test
• structural, mechanical, and thermal spacecraft subsystems
• launch and ground support equipment for proliferated space
• advanced analysis and testing methods national security applications”

The site will also support work under Redwire’s $45 million, five-year cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate to design, develop, and test of prototype software and hardware for mission critical technologies, per Redwire.

“The modernization of America’s space-based defense systems requires the rapid development of new capabilities and advanced systems to ensure we keep our nation secure and Redwire’s Firestone Rapid Capabilities Facility will build on our legacy of converting cutting-edge concepts into key advantages for the warfighter,” said Peter Cannito, Chairman and CEO of Redwire. “Redwire is proud to be a pillar within New Mexico’s space ecosystem, and our recent investment reflects how important this region is to our nation’s defense architecture. We look forward to leveraging the talent and key partnerships within the Albuquerque region to support this important work.”

Rob Black, Cabinet Secretary, New Mexico Economic Development Department, said: “New Mexico celebrates Redwire’s expansion in Albuquerque, because when companies grow here, families thrive here. Aerospace and defense are vital to both our state’s economy and our nation’s security, and through tools like the Job Training Incentive Program we’re helping create high-wage jobs that strengthen our communities and safeguard our future.”