Defense Secretary Hegseth visits Rocket Lab facility in Long Beach on ‘Arsenal of Freedom’ tour

Work on the production floor at Rocket Lab’s Engine Development Complex in Long Beach halted on Friday afternoon, Jan. 9, as more than 200 employees cheered and welcomed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited the space company.

Hegseth made Rocket Lab’s manufacturing facility one of his stops in his nationwide tour of defense industrial bases, dubbed the “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. The monthlong campaign aims to promote one of the Department of Defense’s top priorities: rebuilding the...