New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and several members of the state’s congressional delegation Monday welcomed two Biden administration officials to a semiconductor plant that is expected to expand after an injection of federal dollars.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves and White House CHIPS Coordinator Ryan Harper toured Rocket Lab’s location in the Sandia Science & Technology Park, accompanied by Lujan Grisham, U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury and U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján.
Media was not allowed on the tour.
The company was awarded $23.9 million to produce compound semiconductors for satellites and spacecraft.
The expansion will increase Rocket Lab’s compound semiconductor production by 50% and help meet the growing national security and commercial demand for solar cells in the United States, according to a news release.
“I was proud to vote for the CHIPS and Science Act and support President Biden’s plans to move the country’s manufacturing forward through important legislation,” Stansbury said. “This expansion and modernization will transform our space technologies and manufacturing.”
Clockwise from the top left: (1) Sen. Martin Heinrich, center, waiting to speak before an audience at Rocket Lab facility. (2) Rocket Lab headquarters in Albuquerque. (3) Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, and Sen. Ben Ray Luján attend an event at Rocket Lab. (4) Brad Clevenger, the VP and General Manager of Space Systems at Rocket Lab. (5) US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves speaks to attendees at Rocket Lab. (Roberto E. Rosales / City Desk ABQ)