MaverickSawyer
Acolyte of the Probe
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-aerojet-rocketdyne-jobs-20170410-story.html
The Rancho Cordova plant was where every LR-87 and -91, Delta, Apollo SPS, Shuttle OMS engine, and numerous other historical engines from Aerojet were built and/or developed. Even today, the facility churns out Atlas V sidemount boosters. It's been a mainstay of the Sacramento region since the mid '50s, and helped drive the development of large areas of the suburbs of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, and, of course, Rancho Cordova. Hell, the house I grew up in was built during the boom in Aerojet employment due to the Titan I and II production.
However, after their acquisition of Rocketdyne, Aerojet's been having a hard time making ends meet, and now the hatchet man is coming around. Rumors from some old friends in Sacramento are indicating that the massive complex will be sold to developers and turned into suburbs for a massive amount of money. There is the ongoing issue with perchlorate contamination of the water table that AR's currently on the hook to pay for the mitigation, but there's little hard proof that it's actually their fault. It simply flows out of their current property, some of which was the old McDonnell Douglas plant that tested the S-IVB stages for Apollo, and some of which was reportedly a junk yard for many years. Regardless, the State of California and the City of Sacramento both are holding AR responsible for the cleanup.
A lot of people who are currently employed there are going to have to make some hard choices. Move to LA or Alabama and stay with Aerojet Rocketdyne? Take a gamble on SpaceX or Blue Origin? Retire early? Or seek employment in some other field? It's going to be interesting to see where they go.
Sacramento will lose 1,100 jobs over the next 18 months as rocket engine maker Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to relocate or cut positions in that facility and move jobs to Alabama, Canoga Park and other locations.
The Rancho Cordova plant was where every LR-87 and -91, Delta, Apollo SPS, Shuttle OMS engine, and numerous other historical engines from Aerojet were built and/or developed. Even today, the facility churns out Atlas V sidemount boosters. It's been a mainstay of the Sacramento region since the mid '50s, and helped drive the development of large areas of the suburbs of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale, and, of course, Rancho Cordova. Hell, the house I grew up in was built during the boom in Aerojet employment due to the Titan I and II production.
However, after their acquisition of Rocketdyne, Aerojet's been having a hard time making ends meet, and now the hatchet man is coming around. Rumors from some old friends in Sacramento are indicating that the massive complex will be sold to developers and turned into suburbs for a massive amount of money. There is the ongoing issue with perchlorate contamination of the water table that AR's currently on the hook to pay for the mitigation, but there's little hard proof that it's actually their fault. It simply flows out of their current property, some of which was the old McDonnell Douglas plant that tested the S-IVB stages for Apollo, and some of which was reportedly a junk yard for many years. Regardless, the State of California and the City of Sacramento both are holding AR responsible for the cleanup.
A lot of people who are currently employed there are going to have to make some hard choices. Move to LA or Alabama and stay with Aerojet Rocketdyne? Take a gamble on SpaceX or Blue Origin? Retire early? Or seek employment in some other field? It's going to be interesting to see where they go.