January 5: Mojave based Scaled Composites and parent company Northrop Grumman announced today a $11,250 donation to the Mojave Foundation to be used for health and safety investments in public lighting and streetlights. “This donation should allow us to reach our target of doubling the available lighting in Mojave.” said Todd Quelet, Executive Director of the Mojave Foundation. “These companies are invested here in Mojave, have been for a long time, and they have a stake in the future of this community.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of a wave of break-ins of commercial properties in downtown Mojave, and the tragic death of another pedestrian on Mojave’s busy streets at night. The Mojave Foundation plans to use investments like these to restore much of the public lighting that was removed three years ago, and make our streets substantially safer. Southern California Edison has offered a deal to install streetlights, including poles, for only $15/month, provided customers sign a three-year contract and pay the first year up front. Today’s announcement demonstrates our partners’ resolve to protect our residents and employees from crime and traffic hazards in Mojave.

Scaled Composites, founded by Burt Rutan, has been building experimental and composite aircraft in Mojave since 1982. Scaled employs approximately 550 engineers, technicians and fabricators in Mojave, and is responsible for major projects such as the Voyager, SpaceShipOne, SpaceShipTwo, and Stratolaunch. Scaled’s President, Kevin Mickey, grew up in Mojave, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Mojave Foundation. Scaled was acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2007, a major aerospace and defense technology company headquartered in West Falls Church, Virginia.