Rocketdyneis roaring into a new era as an independent company at the forefront of space propulsion systems.
The company recently was purchased from L3 Harris by Boca Raton-based AE Industrial Partners. Now Rocketdyne is a standalone business headquartered west of West Palm Beach in space leased from Pratt & Whitney along the Beeline Highway.
Rocketdyne also has a new chief executive, Kristin Houston, who led the business when it still was part of Melbourne-based L3Harris.
In an Aug. 17 interview, Houston was eager to spread the word about the company's prowess in launch-vehicle engines, spacecraft propulsion, space electronics and nuclear power systems.
Among Rocketdyne's mos high-profile product is the RL10 upper-stage engine, which was used this
spring in Artemis II, the U.S.'s first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years.
The ten-day mission launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral featured four astronauts in the Orion spacecraft traveling around the Moon, including the Moon's far side. Once the giant rocket placed Orion in orbit, it was the locally-built RL10 engines that fired it toward the moon.
"We captivated the world by sending humans deep into space," Houston said.
But Rocketdyne isn't just focused on space propulsion. Maneuverability in space also important, she added, because space is becoming congested.
Rocketdyne seeks range of workers in Palm Beach County
Houston expressed enthusiasm for Rocketdyne's planned growth in Palm Beach County. The company, which employs about 400 nationwide, plans to advance civil, national security and commercial space missions, and it needs to grow its workforce locally, too, she said.
"It's a great time to be part of the space industry," Houston said. "There's unprecedented growth across civil and government realms ... I think it's a real opportunity."
She stressed that Rocketdyne doesn't just need engineers, either. The company needs skilled labor, such as welders, in addition to rocket science PhDs.
Palm Beach County's thriving defense industry
Palm Beach County already is a thriving hub of aerospace and engineering. More than 20,000 employees work at 1,760companies, providing an average wage of $134,214, according to the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County.
The county is poised for more growth in this industry with increased federal spending on defense technology. These technologies, including the use of drones, are driving the expansion and relocation of several companies to the county where President Donald Trump lists his his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as his official residence.
Other defense contractors are expanding to South Florida to tap the area's skilled labor force.
Trump is supportive of space exploration and innovation, boding well for Rocketdyne's prospects.
Houston noted the Trump administration's support for nuclear propulsion technology in space, one of Rocketdyne's targeted growth sectors.
Palm Beach County's expanding defense technology landscape already is catching the eye of outside institutions. One of them is Vanderbilt University, which plans to build a graduate business school campus in downtown West Palm Beach.
In 2024, Vanderbilt said it wanted the West Palm Beach campus to focus on finance, data and technology industries. But in January, Diermeier said graduate programs will include engineering space technologyas well as defensetechnology and manufacturing.
Diermeier said rapid technology changes prompted Vanderbilt to tweak its planned curriculum, which now will have a "significant" focus on space and defense.
Alexandra Clough is a business writer at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at aclough@pbpost.com. X: @acloughpbp. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Liftoff! Rocket engine maker to grow in Palm Beach County
