Industry New Aerospace & Autonomy Center by Boeing at MIT

With the agreement to lease 100,000 square feet of research and lab space of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) new district being built at 314 Main Street in Cambridge, Mass., Boeing becomes the first major tenant of the facility located in Kendall Square. The new 17-floor building will house the Boeing Aerospace & Autonomy Center where employees from Aurora Flight Sciences will focus on designing, building and flying autonomous aircraft and developing enabling technologies.

"Boeing is leading the development of new autonomous vehicles and future transportation systems that will bring flight closer to home", said Greg Hyslop, Boeing chief technology officer. "By investing in this new research facility, we are creating a hub where our engineers can collaborate with other Boeing engineers and research partners around the world and leverage the Cambridge innovation ecosystem."

Boeing had recently announced creating Boeing NeXt in a collaboration with artificial intelligence (AI) technology leader, SparkCognition, to deliver unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) solutions. The organization is thought to unite researchers and projects across the company with topics covering the future of travel and transport. In addition to that, the goal of a safe coexistence of piloted and autonomous vehicles calls for a new next-generation airspace management system, which is to be developed as part of the NeXt program. At Kendall Square engineers will research and develop new technologies supporting Boeing’s NeXt programs.

MIT follows a strategy to foster vibrancy and diversity in Kendall Square. The Kendall Square Initiative aims to develop six buildings to house a blend of lab and research, office, housing and retail space. The area of one square mile is often referred to as the most innovative square mile in the world.

"It's fitting that Boeing will join the Kendall/MIT innovation family", said MIT Provost Martin Schmidt. "Our research interests have been intertwined for over 100 years, and we've worked together to advance world-changing aerospace technologies and systems. MIT's Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the oldest program of its kind in the United States, and excels at its mission of developing new air transportation concepts, autonomous systems and small satellites through an intensive focus on cutting-edge education and research. Boeing's presence will create an unprecedented opportunity for new synergies in this industry."

Boeing is also a leading sponsor of MIT’s Wright Brothers Wind Tunnel.

No financial terms of the new lease agreement have been disclosed.

Aurora Flight Sciences is a Boeing company focused on the development of versatile and intuitive autonomous systems. The company has more than 550 employees and is headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, with research and development centers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Luzern, Switzerland, manufacturing facilities in Bridgeport, West Virginia, and Columbus, Mississippi, and offices in Dayton, Ohio, and Mountain View, California.