Secretive aerospace firm to test rocket engines in Bremerton

The site has control rooms, a generator and a concrete pad with protective blast walls.

By Tad Sooter / Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON — A Renton-based aerospace firm will begin testing rocket engines next year in a facility under construction at the Port of Bremerton.

Radian Aerospace is involved in research and development of “aerospace hardware to serve a variety of customers,” according to a company representative. But beyond sharing some basic details, Radian officials are keeping a tight lid on the specifics of their project.

“We’re not in a position at this time to discuss the specific nature of the work we’re doing for reasons of confidentiality,” a Radian representative said in an email Wednesday.

Radian is building the engine testing facility on a small parcel of land adjacent to an abandoned runway at the southeast corner of Bremerton National Airport. According to plans filed with the city of Bremerton, the site consists of control and instrumentation rooms, a generator, and a concrete pad with protective blast walls.

A 15,500-pound mount will brace engines during testing. Liquid oxygen and jet fuel will be stored in stainless steel tanks shielded by walls. An automatic fire suppression system will be installed in case of emergencies.

The project has been reviewed by the Federal Aviation Administration and city staff, among other agencies.

Incorporated in 2016, Radian Aerospace shares leadership with Holder Aerospace, a Renton company headed by former astronaut Livingston Holder and aerospace executive Curtis Gifford. Holder Aerospace clients have included civilian, Department of Defense and NASA contractors, according to the company’s website.

Holder and Gifford also collaborated at AirLaunch LLC, which worked to develop a system to launch rockets into orbit from cargo aircraft flying at high altitude.

Radian Aerospace is leasing a half-acre parcel from the Port of Bremerton for $325 a month. The agreement, signed in August, is good for one year, with the option for three one-year extensions.

Port of Bremerton CEO Jim Rothlin said the agency was excited to host Radian’s research.

“The port welcomes this industry as it helps diversify the skill sets at the industrial park, and we look forward to supporting their needs, whatever that might bring,” Rothlin said.

Engine tests in Bremerton will continue into 2019, according to permit documents.

Biplane company lands at port

A very different kind of aerospace company also touched down at the Port of Bremerton this fall.

Olde Thyme Aviation, which offers biplane tours of Puget Sound, inked a lease with the port in October and is relocating its headquarters to Bremerton National Airport. Olde Thyme operated out of Boeing Field in King County for the previous 23 years.

Owner Ken Horwitz said the company will begin tours out of Bremerton in early 2018 and will continue providing weekend tours at the Seattle Museum of Flight. Olde Thyme’s collection of biplanes includes a 1929 Travel Air, a variety of Waco aircraft and several World War II-vintage Stearman Kaydet Trainers.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.