Space

Washington State has played a central role in space exploration for nearly 60 years. Anchored by pioneers such as Boeing and Aerojet, the state has drawn a new generation of visionaries who are redefining space exploration, from harvesting asteroids and ferrying tourists to the outer reaches of inner space to systems that are taking us to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

In-Depth

Washington’s leadership in commercialized space stems from its long history in aerospace combined with a deep pool of top talent in software, hardware, advanced materials and telecommunications. As the federal space budget continued to experience cuts, Washington businesses stepped in to explore new opportunities based on broadband satellite constellations, value-added services and human space exploration. New companies have continued to build on the region’s pioneer role in space exploration.

This pioneering work included the design and manufacture of the lunar rovers by Boeing in the 1970s and the Inertial Upper Stage, which sent the Magellan, Galileo and Ulysses probes on their respective missions. Aerojet has provided rocket engines for all of NASA’s most important missions, from the maneuvering jets on Voyager to the rockets that allowed Curiosity to touch down safely on the Martian surface.

This rich history of innovation has provided Washington with a deep pool of engineering and manufacturing talent that is not only experienced in aerospace, software, hardware, propulsion, composites, big data and telecommunications as well.

Though the state’s geographic location makes it unsuitable as a launch site, this hasn’t stopped Washington companies from creating the next generation of space vehicles and systems. South of Seattle, Blue Origin is developing prototypes of the new BE-4 rocket motors that will power the company’s New Glenn rocket as well as United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch system. At Aerojet-Rocketdyne, workers are exploring new propulsion systems such as resistojets, gridded-ion thrusters and rockets powered by hydroxyl ammonium nitrate, which is safer and more efficient than traditional fuels.

The increased emphasis on value-added services and telecommunications has allowed companies like Spaceflight Industries to create new ventures such as BlackSky, which provides high-resolution, near real-time imagery to customers. Miniaturization and commoditization continue to drive down costs and increase opportunities across the board for entrepreneurs and companies that want to explore the bleeding edge of commercial space exploration.

Sector Strengths

Sector supply chain and production are focused on five areas: 

• Lower-tier suppliers
  Lower-tier suppliers produce the constituent materials and parts for spacecraft, satellites, and launch vehicles. This tier includes metal and plastics manufacturers, machine shops, instrument manufacturers and electronics producers.
• Upper-tier suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)
  Includes businesses that develop major assemblies and systems for these space-related projects, including communications, power, engine and structural systems. OEMs provide the final development and assembly of spacecraft, satellites, and launch vehicles.
• Space launch service providers
  Businesses and organizations that manage the launches of spacecraft and satellites into space are critical to the space economy. This includes not only the launch facilities themselves, but also the coordination of spaceflights, mission management, ground support of spacecraft, and ongoing operations of satellites. Increasingly, the U.S. government has been handing these responsibilities off to the private sector.
• Providers of space-related goods and services
  These are companies that benefit and use the goods and services provided by the activities above, including telecommunications, Earth observation and mapping systems, research activities, space tourism, defense applications and other space-dependent applications.
• Businesses supported by space activities
  These companies rely on space-related platforms to add and improve functionality and enhance the quality of TV and radio services, weather forecasting, asset tracking systems and personal wayfinding systems.