This rendering of the planned Helix-1 manufacturing and research and development facility in Salt Lake County was shown during the Governor's Office of Economic Development meeting this month. Lunar Resources Inc. CEO Elliot Carol said the rendering will be updated because it will be larger than shown in this image. (GOED meeting screen capture)
A Houston-based NASA spinoff company will build a manufacturing and research and development facility in Salt Lake County, resulting in 420 new jobs over the next decade.
Lunar Resources Inc. says the $85 million plant, occupying 100,000 square feet in its first phase, will likely be the largest in the U.S. dedicated to pulsed power to be used by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Missile Defense Agency.
The company focuses on pulsed power technologies and systems, a specialized form of electricity that involves extremely high-power pulses of energy in short bursts and can be used in defense, energy, power transmission and industrial power systems. Applications for the Helix Driver technology include those on Earth, in space and the moon.
"Our operations in Utah will primarily be focused on our defense technologies," company CEO Elliot Carol told the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development board at its June meeting. The company was awarded a tax credit incentive tied to the creation of 100 high-paying jobs at the plant.
"Currently, there is massive organic and new demand for directed energy systems to face new threats, including drones, unmanned surface vehicles on the water, unmanned ground vehicles on the land, and to meet these threats, our armed services require new technologies and systems. Our unique Helix Driver power supply technology allows for directed energy systems to be reduced by almost an order of magnitude in size as well as cost."
The company's platforms are focused on drones, infantry soldiers, vessels and infrastructure, he said.
In a news release about the project, Carol said that "Utah offers an exceptional talent pool and a highly supportive business environment that partners with companies to help ensure mutual success. We look forward to building deep roots here and continuing our mission to shape America's next frontier on Earth and in space."
The Salt Lake County facility, dubbed "Helix-1," will be the nation's largest factory of directed energy weapons, high-voltage capacitors and high-power magnetrons, Carol told the GOED board. The company's defense offerings are touted as "a new era of directed-energy warfare." It is working to commercialize Helix Driver technology across multiple global sectors, for use in space and on Earth.
The company says that unlike continuous power systems, which provide a steady flow of energy, pulsed power technologies release energy in intense, high-powered pulses, allowing for customizable energy delivery tailored to specific applications.
The company was founded in 2018, aimed at "enabling the U.S. to permanently inhabit the moon." One website indicates the company has 23 employees.
The company is working on off-Earth extraction, space manufacturing and advanced technologies critical for space exploration and industrialization. It is developing electrochemical, metallurgical and electrical processes to extract oxygen, metals and water from lunar materials that are then transformed into raw and basic materials for component production and infrastructure construction.
The company's contract work encompasses projects such as developing the oxygen extraction technologies, creating advanced welding techniques for orbital debris removal, designing in-space joining and manufacturing processes, and developing technologies for satellite servicing and spacecraft life extension.
The GOED board approved a tax credit incentive of up to $14.2 million over 10 years for the Helix-1 project. The 100 incentivized jobs will pay an average wage of $219,480. The project is expected to generate new total wages of about $188.3 million over 10 years and new state tax revenue of $47.3 million during that time.
"Thank you for what you're doing for our country. …. We're excited for your expansion here," Jesse Turley, chairman of the GOED incentives committee, told Carol.
"Lunar Resources' proposed expansion will help elevate Utah's position as a leader in cutting-edge manufacturing and technologies," Jefferson Moss, GOED commissioner, said in a prepared statement. "Their pioneering technology aligns with our future-focused mindset and will serve as a powerful economic catalyst. We are optimistic about how this groundbreaking work will create opportunities for Utahns for many years to come."
GOED does not provide upfront cash incentives. Each year that an incentivized company meets the obligations in its contract with GOED, it will qualify to receive a portion of the new, additional state taxes the company paid to the state.
