Seeking a larger building to test spacecraft and related hardware for the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and other clients, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory intends to start construction this summer on a $30 million, 48,000-square-foot testing and assembly facility in Laurel. Featuring a "high bay" work area with a 45-foot-high ceiling, the one-level building will supplement a 1970s-era facility and enable the APL's Space Department to test and assemble larger satellites and other spacecraft than it can now, according to James Loesch, section supervisor for the APL's project management office. The building is expected to be fully operational by early 2013, Loesch said.

- Baltimore Sun staff