Artemis II sent astronauts around the moon for the first time in decades — a 10-day mission that lifted off from the same pad used during the Apollo era. Naturally, most of the attention was on the rocket, the crew and the mission itself. What’s less visible is how much of that work happens outside the launch site, including in Arizona.
Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut, has said missions like this carry significance beyond the moment of launch. “It’s inspiring, but it also pushes technology forward,” Kelly said.
The mission itself is the result of years of work across companies, research institutions and semiconductor suppliers.
Honeywell is one example. Engineers in Glendale have spent years developing systems designed to operate during launch and throughout the mission. That includes components astronauts rely on to monitor and interact with the spacecraft, even as the vehicle experiences the kind of vibration that would make most displays unreadable during liftoff.
“It is a point of pride that Honeywell has been trusted to support every crewed NASA space mission,” said Jim Currier, president and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace. “Our legacy is built on responsibility, precision and innovation, driven by people who care deeply and are inspired to help shape the future of human spaceflight.”
Northrop Grumman is also involved in Artemis II. The company’s twin five-segment solid rocket boosters provide the majority of the rocket’s thrust at liftoff, while systems tied to crew safety, including the abort motor, are designed to activate if something goes wrong during ascent. The company’s Gilbert operations are connected to the HALO module, which is expected to support future missions as a living and working space for astronauts in lunar orbit.
At Arizona State University, teams are developing instruments designed to collect and analyze data from the lunar surface, helping scientists better understand its composition. At the University of Arizona, researchers are building a seismometer intended to measure moonquakes and study what lies beneath the moon’s surface, work that will continue long after the launch itself.
Not all of that work shows up during a launch. Programs like Artemis also rely on companies supporting components, materials, testing and manufacturing, many of them further down the supply chain.
In Arizona, that work is spread across a much wider base of companies, many of them tied to different parts of the mission. Chandler-based Everspin Technologies develops MRAM used in high-reliability applications, including aerospace and satellite systems. The company has worked with Blue Origin and Astro Digital, supplying radiation-hardened memory for space environments. These components sit further down the supply chain, but they support how spacecraft systems operate and manage data.
Arizona’s aerospace and defense sector includes more than 1,200 companies, ranging from large contractors to specialized suppliers and manufacturers. The state’s chip manufacturing base provides a foundation that even tech-forward states are working to build.
Over the last five years, Arizona has attracted more than 60 expansions in the aerospace and defense sector, helping Arizona rank third in the nation for aerospace manufacturing. This growth is no surprise; the semiconductor and aerospace and defense industries share a symbiotic relationship. Semiconductor technologies are foundational to aerospace missions, shaping everything from onboard electronics to data and memory systems.
As both industries continue to grow in Arizona, that overlap is being shaped by the full ecosystem. It includes both the large corporations and the smaller companies that support the supply chain. Together, they are connecting chip manufacturing, engineering and aerospace development in ways that are difficult to separate, helping drive continued investment across both sectors.
Did You Know:
- Arizona’s aerospace and defense sector has attracted more than $2.8 billion in investment and created more than 12,500 jobs in recent years.
- Arizona ranks No. 1 in the nation for concentration of guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing, according to Lightcast.
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott is the largest fully accredited aviation- and aerospace-focused university in the world.
