Wyoming Was Part of the Launch: Artemis II and What It Means for American Business

A Gillette company helped send astronauts to the moon. Here's why that matters for Wyoming's business community.

On April 1, 2026, NASA's Artemis II mission launched four astronauts on the first crewed mission to deep space in more than 50 years. It's a landmark moment for American innovation — and Wyoming had a direct hand in getting it off the ground.

L&H Industrial, a heavy industrial manufacturing company based in Gillette, Wyoming, built and engineered the flame deflector plates that shield the Artemis rocket at launch. Their system had to divert 9 million pounds of thrust away from the vehicle at liftoff — a precision engineering challenge that required thoughtful design down to the angle and shape of every joint to prevent them from burning through. It wasn't their first contribution either. More than a decade ago L&H also upgraded the massive crawler transporter that carries the rocket to the launch pad, upgrading it to carry an additional 6 million pounds of payload in preparation for the heavier Artemis rockets.

Wyoming precision. Wyoming craftsmanship. On the pad at Kennedy Space Center.

Their work is part of a nationwide supply chain spanning more than 2,700 suppliers across 47 states — the kind of American industrial muscle that makes missions like this possible. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce highlighted Artemis II as a defining moment for American industry, noting that the government-industry partnership behind the mission spans prime contractors, specialized suppliers, software teams, and manufacturers in communities across the country — including right here in Wyoming.

For Wyoming's business community Artemis II is more than a space story. It's a signal that the next wave of opportunity in space communications, logistics, manufacturing, and technology is taking shape — and that Wyoming companies are already at the table.

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce is proud to celebrate L&H Industrial and every Wyoming business that contributes to America's industrial strength.

Read the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's full statement