(Tribune News Service) — The Air Force will invest $5 million in the Air Force Research Laboratory Aerospace Systems Directorate Rocket Propulsion Division ( AFRL Rocket Lab) at Edwards Air Force Base, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said this week.

The division is at the “cutting edge of space and flight technology development, and this funding signals the critical role that East Kern (Calif.) and this installation continue to play in our national security architecture,” McCarthy, R- California, said in a statement.

“The Department of Defense’s decision earlier this year to renovate Test Stand 1-C and the Department of the Air Force’s decision now to invest $5 million to upgrade a key test facility at the AFRL Rocket Lab underscores the important role that our community continues to play in advancing our nation’s air and space enterprise,” McCarthy said. “I applaud the Department of the Air Force for ensuring the men and women at the AFRL Rocket Lab have the tools they need for success.”

AFRL is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.

The $5 million will modernize the high-altitude facility at the AFRL Rocket Lab that replicates an altitude of 110,000 feet, supporting test efforts for upper stage rockets, McCarthy’s office said.

“This investment is significant because it helps ensure continued operations and enhances a key air and space test facility of national significance,” the office said.

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