The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has approved an agreement with ABL Space Systems to build a spacecraft processing facility at the Port of Long Beach and use the waterfront area for the delivery and shipping of
its cargo.
Founded in 2017, El Segundo-based ABL Space Systems will take over eight acres of dry land and 1.31 acres of submerged land at the port’s Pier T, formerly part of the Long Beach Naval Station.
“It’s exciting to add yet another tenant in the rapidly growing spacecraft technology industry,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Steven Neal said in a statement. “We look forward to what we know will be a mutually beneficial relationship.”
The late October agreement came five months after the Port of Long Beach agreed to lease a site to SpaceX, adjacent to what will be ABL Space Systems’ site. SpaceX uses its site as a marine terminal for its West Coast rocket recovery operations.
Included in the five-year lease is a 41,228-square-foot integration and payload processing facility, 14,629-square-foot warehouse space , and a 25,250-square-foot office space. This location will be used by ABL for a wide range of operations, including vehicle processing, payload integration, and maritime operations that support the company’s global network of launch facilities.
“This site is highly strategic for our growth,” said Harry O’Hanley, CEO of the El Segundo, Calif. firm. “Maritime operations are key to scaling our launch capabilities globally.”