Construction is officially underway on a new space and defense technology facility at PuebloPlex in Pueblo County, marking a major investment in Southern Colorado’s advanced manufacturing and defense sector. Denver-based Voyager Technologies is developing a manufacturing, operations and testing complex at the former U.S. Army Pueblo Chemical Depot, which closed several years ago.
The new facility will support Voyager’s expanding role in defense and space-related production. According to the company, the PuebloPlex site will “support high-volume production of weapon systems-enabling components and propulsion systems … along with chemical and black powder development, which have received more than $39 million in federal funding to re-onshore these resources to the United States.”
The project is expected to generate approximately 120 new jobs, significantly expanding Voyager’s presence in Southern Colorado, where the company currently employs about 60 people. The investment is being positioned as a key step toward strengthening domestic manufacturing capacity for critical defense components.
“This groundbreaking represents one of the largest defense investments in Southern Colorado in over a decade,” said U.S. Congressman Jeff Hurd in the press release. “Voyager is bringing high-tech manufacturing jobs to Pueblo and strengthening America’s defense industrial base in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.”
The 150,000-square-foot facility is expected to be operational later this year, further accelerating redevelopment efforts at PuebloPlex, which has been transitioning into a hub for aerospace, defense and industrial tenants since the chemical depot’s closure.
Voyager Technologies acquired the Pueblo site through its November purchase of Penrose-based Estes Energetics, a company specializing in propulsion systems and energetic materials. Estes Energetics was a sister company to the long-established model rocketry firm Estes Rockets, linking the Pueblo operation to decades of propulsion expertise.
In addition to its growing footprint in Colorado, Voyager Technologies operates facilities in California, Ohio, Nevada, Texas and internationally, including Italy, underscoring the company’s expanding global presence in defense and space technologies.
The PuebloPlex project adds momentum to Southern Colorado’s broader economic transition, leveraging federal investment and existing infrastructure to support advanced manufacturing and national defense priorities.
Originally reported by Shanna Lewis in CPR.
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