Avio picks developer for first US rocket motor production facility - SpaceNews

TAMPA, Fla. — Italian rocket maker Avio plans to set up its first solid motor production facility in the United States in 2028 to capture growing demand in the space and defense markets.

The company’s recently established U.S.-based subsidiary said Oct. 29 that it has contracted real estate development firm ACMI Properties to pick a location for the factory in the first half of 2025.

While the facility’s core focus would be on missiles for U.S. government tactical needs, following a contract with defense contractor Raytheon and a partnership with the U.S. Army, Avio USA CEO James Syring said there is also strong demand for boosters from commercial space launchers.

“The demand signal was very, very strong on the defense tactical side,” said Syring, a retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral and former director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, “but as we got into those very detailed discussions, the space side has come up more recently.”

He said Avio seeks to provide additional capacity to the industrial base for large solid rocket motor boosters in the United States, where Northrop Grumman is the primary supplier.

“Obviously, [Northrop] are a huge company,” he said, “but given the expertise and the manufacturing capability that we have in Europe for these types of big boosters, we believe … there’s a niche for us over here in terms of that capacity.”

Avio develops solid, liquid and cryogenic propulsion systems and is prime contractor for Europe’s Vega rocket program. The company is also a sub-contractor for Ariane 6, which uses Vega boosters.

In addition to a solid rocket motor production facility at its base in Italy, Avio has a facility in French Guiana, which hosted Ariane 6’s inaugural launch in July.

Avio USA is based in Arlington, Virginia, and is structured to comply with the country’s security and export-control regulations, including being governed by a U.S.-led board of directors.

ACMI, or American Center for Manufacturing Innovation, said it is considering all 50 states in the U.S. for Avio’s first manufacturing facility in the country. The contract also marks the developer’s first rocket factory project.

Jason Rainbow writes about satellite telecom, finance and commercial markets for SpaceNews. He has spent more than a decade covering the global space industry as a business journalist. Previously, he was Group Editor-in-Chief for Finance Information Group,... More by Jason Rainbow