Defence giant Lockheed Martin could create 500 jobs in the North East with £85m satellite factoryThe US aerospace company is vying for a UK contract which could see it bring a major facility to the regionView Image (Image: Lockheed Martin)Around 500 jobs could be created by defence giant Lockheed Martin as it looks to build a satellite factory in the region. The factory would focus on assembly and testing of satellites, with Lockheed saying a range of high quality jobs would follow. ‌Mr Drury said his company had been impressed with the level of space expertise in the North East since it hosted a supply event in 2022. The North East Space Skills Technology (NESST) Centre draws on the university's specialisms in optical satellite communications, space weather and space-based energy. Article continues belowSarah Slaven, managing director of Business Durham, said: "Importantly, NETPark is one of the North East Innovation Zones sites, so it's a growth site for the innovation zone.

Source: Daily Mirror March 24, 2026 17:05 UTC