Auria invests $1.8M in new Reston headquarters, creating 78 jobs

Auria, a space-based defense contractor, will invest $1.8 million to establish a new East Coast headquarters in Reston. The commitment is expected to create 78 new positions in Fairfax County. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger and the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority announced the agreement on Oct. 27.

The company has leased 18,501 square feet in the Summit I office building at 2000 Edmund Halley Drive. The new facility is slated to open by mid-2027. It will house a mission integration lab where staff develop and test technologies alongside clients. An Auria spokesperson confirmed that hiring is already underway for roles in space systems engineering and product development.

This expansion supplements the company's existing operations in Warrenton, where roughly 80 employees work on hardware development and classified operations. Auria employs approximately 510 people in total. The firm was created in 2024 by Enlightenment Capital through the merger of four companies: Boecore, Ascension Engineering Group, Orbit Logic, and La Jolla Logic.

CEO Damian DiPippa stated that Northern Virginia is becoming the company's largest employment footprint. He described Reston as a natural choice to complement the Warrenton campus and the corporate headquarters in Colorado Springs. DiPippa noted that the new facility will strengthen collaboration with nearby customers and partners in the intelligence and space sectors.

Local officials emphasized the financial scale of the region's defense sector. Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said the decision reflects the strength of the local space and defense ecosystem. According to FCEDA data, companies in the county secured $41.4 billion in federal contracts in fiscal year 2025.

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership will provide consulting services and funding for employee recruitment and training under the Virginia Jobs Investment Program. Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn welcomed the investment, noting it brings innovative work closer to the local talent base. Recent months have seen similar expansion announcements from MetroStar, Data Machines, and Smart Shooter in the area.