Aurora announces expansion of Mississippi manufacturing facility

On Aug. 21, Aurora Flight Sciences (Bridgeport, W.Va., U.S.), a Boeing company, kicked off a significant expansion of its manufacturing facility near the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus, Mississippi. The project will expand the facility by 50,000 square feet, renovate 40,000 square feet of existing space and add new automation equipment, robotics and nondestructive inspection (NDI) technologies to support Aurora’s growing aerosystems business.

Aurora Mississippi specializes in manufacturing composite components and assemblies for military and commercial aircraft. First opened at Mississippi State University’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in Starkville in 2005, the company moved to its current site in Columbus 2 years later. Starting with 21,000 square feet of space, the site has since expanded to more than 120,000 square feet and hosts advanced manufacturing technologies such as automated fiber placement (AFP).

Aurora’s latest capital investment, now under way, will support increased volume in composite components for executive jets as well as production of MQ-25 Stingray composite skins for Aurora’s parent company, Boeing. The facility will also manufacture components for NASA’s X-66 sustainable flight demonstrator aircraft, among other programs.

“We’re proud to bring this investment to the Columbus, Mississippi community,” said Luke Colville, Aurora’s vice president of manufacturing. “We are excited to welcome new programs to the facility, and we are honored that current customers are choosing to grow their business with us. This success is driven by the hard work and dedication of Aurora’s team members here in Columbus. We are thankful for our employees and for the continued support of local organizations such as the Mississippi Development Authority and Golden Triangle Development LINK.”

Aurora has approximately 100 full-time permanent employees in its Mississippi location and will add more than 60 team members by the end of 2025. Part of the growing aerospace and advanced manufacturing community in Mississippi, Aurora partners with Mississippi State University (MSU) and East Mississippi Community College (EMCC) to strengthen advanced manufacturing research, higher education and workforce development. Aurora is also a strong supporter of local K-12 STEM education summer camps and collaborates with high school vocational education programs.

Aurora’s Mississippi expansion and renovation project will be conducted in phases over approximately 2 years and is expected to complete in 2026.