ARCA Space to Build Drone Plant in Las Cruces

COURTESY OF THE CITY OF LAS CRUCES This photo shows the ARCA AirStrato unmanned aircraft. rrayburn@abqjournal.com Mon Jul 13 15
An aerospace research and development company that relocated its headquarters to Las Cruces last year plans to build a testing and manufacturing facility that will create 100 jobs over three years.
Gov. Susana Martinez announced Monday that ARCA Space Corp.will build a 14,000-square-foot hangar and manufacturing space at the Las Cruces airport.
The company, which started in 1999 in Romania, develops drone-type aircraft capable of commercial payloads weighing up to about 300 pounds.
ARCA plans to begin hiring immediately for jobs that will pay an average annual salary of $52,000.
“For Las Cruces, it signifies that we are not just a place to produce low-cost goods,” said Las Cruces Economic Development Coordinator Gary Camarano. “We are becoming an innovation hub for aerospace.”
Camarano pointed to White Sands Missile Range nearby and an office Virgin Galactic has opened in the city. Virgin Galactic plans to operate commercial rockets at Spaceport America northwest of Las Cruces.
The company became familiar with Las Cruces when it participated in the X Prize Cup Competition in 2006, which was held in Las Cruces.
“We’re proud of New Mexico’s storied history in science and innovation, and we know that ARCA Space made the right choice to manufacture their products right here in Las Cruces,” Martinez said in a news release announcing the move.
The New Mexico Economic Development Department will contribute $500,000 in local economic development funds toward the construction of ARCA’s new facility. The city is waiving first-year rental costs of office, hangar and showroom space,  worth about $60,000.
The ARCA announcement came days after the U.S. Department of Commerce ranked Las Cruces as No. 1 in the country for export growth.
By: Rosalie Rayburn (Albuquerque Journal)
Click here to view source article.