Rio Rancho -More than 300 high paying jobs are coming to Rio Rancho and Sandoval County after Castelion, a defense technology company, today announced that it has officially selected Sandoval County, as the site for Project Ranger, a 1,000-acre solid rocket motor manufacturing campus.
The campus is projected to generate more than $650 million in economic output over the next decade while it invests more than $100 million over the first four years of Project Ranger’s development, with more capital investment after that. The announcement was made today by the New Mexico Economic Development Department.
Castelion’s Project Ranger will enable rapid, scalable production of advanced long-range systems.
The company is headquartered in Torrance, California, and according to the press release, was founded with a mission to restore the U.S. industrial base for defense, producing next-generation hypersonic systems at scale to help the U.S. and its allies deter global threats and prevent conflict.
Regarding today’s announcement Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said, “New Mexico has always been front and center in shaping the frontiers of American defense and innovation, This project helps carry that legacy forward — creating high-paying jobs, advancing national security and proving once again that New Mexico is where bold ideas take flight.”
“After a highly competitive nationwide search, we chose New Mexico for its technical talent, regional infrastructure, and history of scientific achievement,” said Andrew Kreitz, co-founder and CFO of Castelion. The manufacturing campus will produce solid rocket motors, conduct static tests and assemble components to produce finished rounds. Rio Rancho’s mayor Gregg Hull stated “In line with Rio Rancho’s history of advanced manufacturing and New Mexico’s expertise in national defense, we look forward to welcoming Castelion to the region,”
Groundbreaking is expected for early next year.
