Research and development nonprofit Draper will develop simulated environments at its future $50 million Titusville campus to test nuclear deterrence systems such as hypersonic missiles and Trident II D5 missiles.
That's according to Vice President and General Manager of Navy Strategic Systems Robert Bacon. The company chose Titusville after looking at many sites and finding that Riverfront Center was most ready for a quick build-out, he said.
The new campus will replace a Draper centrifuge facility in Bedford, Massachusetts, which is nearing the end of its life. A groundbreaking ceremony for the strategic enhanced ground testing facility for missiles happened at Riverfront Center in Titusville on Aug. 29.
Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Draper has Florida footprints already, with its U.S. Navy Trident Guidance Program Technical Support Facility in Cape Canaveral and Rapid Prototyping Center in St. Petersburg.
Further growing its presence in Florida was not a stretch, said Bacon. Site readiness, a strong workforce and existing Navy strategic systems programs in the area made it a natural fit.
Here, Orlando Business Journal spoke with Bacon to learn more about the deal and future activities at the facility:
Why was Florida the right place to land?
It all starts with the missions we support and, more specifically, our Navy strategic systems programs already present in Cape Canaveral. We rely on that team and the unique test infrastructure there to do some critical testing for us. We've always had a presence at the Cape, so we know the area and workforce well. With this campus, we are bringing another unique capability to the area, which adds another piece to the puzzle as we look at more expansive test capabilities.
What in particular is appealing about Riverfront Center?
The site already had utilities and was permitted, so there was that element of saving a lot of time. The project will be built by the end of 2026, which is the timeline we wanted. We purchased the property for $2.2 million in June. Draper always was going to make a long-term commitment, so if we had leased, it would have been a 30-year lease. We decided to buy it. We explored options with Space Florida and others, and when we found that site that really fit, we had our first introduction in North American Properties. They helped us put out RFPs. We’ve gotten to know them better as we’ve worked through the acquisition and learned how to leverage them and their expertise as our primary developer. We’re going with Rush Construction.
What is your experience with the workforce in Brevard County?
The workforce is extremely mission-focused and dedicated. They know what needs to be done to get the job done. As we look to expand into different technical domains, it’s good to know the work ethic that comes with the folks in the area is solid.
What kinds of testing activities will happen at the facility once it is built?
One of the major missions we support is nuclear deterrence. Draper is the prime contractor for the Navy's boost guidance system, and we have been for many years. Those types of systems are exclusive in terms of their performance: the accuracy, reliability and robustness against various threats. We don't often have opportunities to actually fly those systems and test them [in] real operational environments. We’ll be doing it here on the ground by bringing together a combination of high-fidelity models and simulations and combining that with higher-fidelity hardware to create what we call an enhanced ground-testing environment. This facility is a compilation of capabilities where we can take the systems we build and put them through the paces in a variety of test environments, getting insight into the performance of the systems as much as, if not more than, we would get with actual operational tasks. We want to expand our “test as you fly” philosophy to more mission domains as well.
What will you test in Titusville?
We will test and evaluate guidance, navigation and control technologies with the support of a world-class centrifuge.
Draper through the years
From the 1930s to 1970, Draper was the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Instrumentation Laboratory. In 1970, the I-Lab was renamed the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, a division of MIT. In 1973, Draper Lab became an independent nonprofit. Today, the company simply goes by Draper, and this year it celebrates 50 years as an independent institution.
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In a previous version of this story, incorrect information was provided about when Draper's new Titusville campus will be completed. Construction will be finished in 2026.
