NEW ORLEANS – Bollinger Shipyards and NASA are driving new momentum in the Gulf South’s aerospace industry, building on the region’s deep legacy in spaceflight and advanced manufacturing.
Bollinger Shipyards Joins Rocket Lab’s Neutron Program
Bollinger Shipyards, one of Louisiana’s largest shipbuilders, has been tapped by Rocket Lab to retrofit a 400-foot barge into a rocket recovery platform. The vessel, named “Return on Investment,” is being converted at Bollinger’s Amelia facility and will serve as a floating landing pad for Rocket Lab’s new Neutron class reusable rockets. These rockets are designed to carry satellite payloads and support national security missions.
The conversion includes installation of dynamic positioning thrusters, remote-control communications systems, and blast shielding. Once completed, the vessel will operate in the Atlantic Ocean, recovering rockets as they descend back to Earth.
“We’re looking forward to working with Bollinger to create the conditions to modernize Louisiana’s shipyard capabilities to meet the demands of the aerospace industry’s cutting-edge capabilities,” said Rocket Lab Vice President Shaun D’Mello in a statement.
NASA Invests in Michoud and Stennis
Two cornerstone facilities of the U.S. space program, NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans and the Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi, recently received $150 million in new federal funding. The Michoud site will receive $30 million, while Stennis will receive $120 million to support modernization, infrastructure upgrades, and expanded mission capacity.
“The funding helps ensure that Artemis missions through Artemis VI, including plans for a permanent lunar space station, remain on track, while securing jobs for thousands of aerospace professionals at both Gulf South sites,” said Michael Hecht, CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “Combined, Michoud and Stennis support more than 6,800 direct jobs across advanced manufacturing, testing, and R&D.”
The two facilities played a vital role in the Apollo era. Beginning in 1961, Boeing constructed the Saturn V rocket’s first stage at Michoud. The massive boosters, largely built by New Orleans workers, were then transported to Stennis for testing before final assembly and launch in Florida.
Today, Michoud produces rocket components for NASA’s Artemis program, while Stennis conducts engine testing on the upgraded 300-foot B-2 Test Stand. Built in the 1960s for Saturn V rockets, the stand was later modified for the Space Launch System and is now used for “green run” tests, firing the full core stage vertically to simulate launch conditions and withstand up to 2 million pounds of thrust.
Workforce Development and Student Engagement Take Off
To support the region’s growing aerospace sector, several institutions in the greater New Orleans area offer specialized training and education, including:
- Nunez Community College runs an Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program, developed with Boeing, that prepares students for careers in systems operations, inspection, tooling, and electrical and mechanical work at facilities like Michoud.
- The University of New Orleans gives undergraduates hands-on experience through the LaACES program, where students design and launch high-altitude payloads using weather balloons.
- In addition, community outreach programs, like STEM NOLA’s Rocket Day, help inspire the next generation to pursue rocket science. They partnered with Boeing, Entergy, UNO, NORD, the City of New Orleans, and the City Council for students to build, test, and launch model rockets while learning about aerodynamics, gravity, and thrust.
About Bollinger Shipyards
Bollinger Shipyards LLC has a 78-year legacy as a leading designer and builder of high-performance Coast Guard cutters, U.S. Navy patrol boats and salvage vessels, research vessels, ocean-going double hull barges, offshore oil field support vessels, tugboats, rigs, lift boats, inland waterways push boats, barges, and other steel and aluminum products from its new construction shipyards as part of the U. S. maritime industrial base.
About NASA
At its 20 centers and facilities across the country and with U.S. commercial companies and international partners, NASA leads studying Earth science, including climate, our Sun, solar system, and the larger universe. We conduct cutting-edge research to advance technology and aeronautics.
