HUNTSVILLE, Ala (WHNT) — The U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) is set to open a new Space Camp facility.

USSRC announced that it will open the new 40,600-square-foot Space Camp Operations Center on Friday. The facility, sponsored by Boeing, will serve as a hub for Space Camp programs and give a permanent home to U.S. Cyber Camp.

The center plans to officially open the facility with a ribbon-cutting Friday attended by Governor Kay Ivey and other state and local officials.

“It is incredible to see our vision for taking Space Camp programs to a new level become reality,” Dr. Kimberly Robinson, chief executive officer and executive director of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, said. “We are exceedingly grateful to Governor Ivey and partners like Boeing who invest in our mission of inspiring the next generation STEM workforce. This facility is a milestone that will advance the Space Camp experience in countless ways.”

The facility will feature ten classrooms, two collaboration zones, a Cyber Mission Control, a check-in center and one of the largest multipurpose auditoriums in North Alabama.

“For more than four decades, Boeing and the U.S. Space and Rocket Center have partnered to open up the exciting world of space to young people,” said Ziad Ojakli, executive vice president of Government Operations at Boeing. “The USSRC has been a launching pad for so many to pursue careers in STEM and, today, we’re welcoming the next generation with the Space Camp Operations Center.”

USSRC said in addition to its support of the operations center, Boeing will also announce a community investment grant to support ‘Mission BLAST: Building Leaders with Adaptive Skills’ on Friday.

Mission BLAST is a three-day experience that combines the STEM skills taught in Space Camp with concepts to prepare students for the workforce. The program is designed to reach local high school students who live “in the shadow of the Saturn V rocket,” but who may not have ever visited USSRC or attended space camp.