It was a warm, breezy April day in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as NASA launched Artemis II, its first crewed lunar flyby in 50 years. It marked a historic moment in space exploration. Durango was there, in spirit at least, as six employees from Durango-based Agile Space Industries witnessed the ground-shaking launch. Agile Control Systems engineer Kendall Worden was among them. “You could hear this rumble start picking up,” Worden recalls. “And then suddenly, it’s like you’re in an earthquake and your entire body is vibrating.” A huge smile spreads across Worden’s face. “It felt like being a kid again.”
For Worden and his colleagues, watching the launch was a special moment personally and professionally. As part of the close-knit team at Agile Space Industries, they’re not just watching humanity return to the moon. They’re helping it to get there.
Built in Durango, Bound for Outer Space
Agile’s roots run deep in Durango. The Advanced Mobile Propulsion Test (AMPT)- the forerunner of Agile- was founded in 2009 by propulsion scientist and entrepreneur Daudi Barnes, who moved to Durango in the early 2000s in search of a different kind of space- one with crisp air and mountain views. Back then, the company operated a test site for rocket propulsion systems near the Durango-La Plata County Airport. Fast forward to 2019, when AMPT merged with Agile Space Propulsion, culminating in the creation of Agile Space Industries. The company grew from there, expanding into the design, development, and manufacturing of custom thrusters that allow spacecraft to move, slow down, and navigate once they’re in space. What sets Agile apart is how they build those engines. Their entire process- design, 3D printing, testing, and delivery- all happens under one roof, which in turn allows them to move faster and iterate more quickly than traditional aerospace suppliers. That Agile is pulling it off in a small, quiet mountain town in southwest Colorado makes it even more remarkable.
For Daudi Barnes, the move to Durango was deliberate. It marked an intentional break from the more traditionally located space centers across the country in favor of a nature-lover’s mecca, where employees could live near the grandeur of mountains, rivers, and trails. Durango offers the Agile staff not only cutting-edge aerospace work but also the opportunity to hike Hogsback or navigate Smelter Rapid all in one day. The names of the company’s two rocket test stands, Animus and Sunshine, honor neighboring peaks and are a testament to its appreciation of the area.
The company continues to build momentum, growing from 55 employees in 2022 to 150 members this year, including 121 team members in Durango alone. They now have locations in several states, with Durango as headquarters. Worden recalls when he started at Agile four years ago, he was employee number 40. “Now I see a new face every day,” he says. Basing an aerospace company in Durango offers abundant natural beauty to a team that enjoys both working and playing hard.
In addition to Agile’s contributions to Durango's economy, the company currently lists nearly 20 open positions in Durango alone, a sign of an operation that is actively growing. They also support the community through their close partnership with Fort Lewis College, hiring local interns and, in some cases, converting them into full-time engineers at the company. Tours of the Agile facility are offered to Durango schools, and some staff members enjoy serving as judges at the school district’s local science fairs.
Agile is scheduled to deliver its 139th piece of flight hardware by the end of 2026, including rocket engine thrusters that will be going to the moon on the Griffin-1, a robotic lunar lander mission scheduled to launch in 2026. Built by the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic Technology, this mission is destined for the Moon's South Pole as part of NASA’s broader Artemis Program, which ultimately aims to develop a permanent base on the Moon and set the stage for future exploration of Mars. It’s an inspiring endeavor. And thanks to Agile, Durango has a front-row seat. As Kendall Worden puts it: “Durango isn’t just a little mountain town. It’s also generating some advanced technology that will be used for the future of spaceflight and, quite possibly, the future of mankind. I think that's pretty cool.”
“Durango isn’t just a little mountain town. It’s generating technology for the future of spaceflight.”
“They’re not just watching humanity return to the moon. They’re helping it get there.”