The RS-25 engine undergoes testing at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Photo: Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has opened a new, 17,000 square-foot large solid rocket motor manufacturing facility in Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet Rocketdyne said in a Tuesday release that the large solid rocket motors produced at the new Engineering, Manufacturing Development (EMD) facility will be used for national security programs, including strategic deterrence, hypersonics and missile defense. 

Construction began last spring as part of a company expansion in Camden, as part of a consolidation and modernization initiative that began in 2015. The company reports it surpassed its goal of reducing costs across the enterprise by $230 million annually. Aerojet Rocketdyne currently makes more than 75,000 solid rocket motors in Camden per year. 

“The aerospace and defense industry has a significant impact on Arkansas’ economy, and Aerojet Rocketdyne has been a vital part of that success for many years,” commented Governor Asa Hutchinson. “The company has demonstrated unwavering dedication to both the workforce and community in Calhoun County.”