Company chose Bothell expansion based on the culture of space industry innovation, community and a robust workforce
By Jacquie Goodwill, OEDC MarCom manager
At the 2025 Paris Air Show, Portal Space Systems announced a 50,000-square-foot facility expansion, and corresponding job growth, in Bothell. Their good news reverberated throughout the Puget Sound region. It’s especially celebrated in Bothell, where the company will strengthen the influx of advanced technology into aerospace in this important industry cluster in Washington.
The Department of Commerce, through the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County, will administer a recently awarded $350,000 Strategic Reserve Fund Grant to support this development of Portal Space System’s new manufacturing site in Bothell. Over the next five years, Portal anticipates adding 700 jobs. The facility will be capable of increasing to a scalable production rate of up to a dozen satellites per year.
Washington: An inspirational lifestyle generating ideas that can change the world.
Prashaanth Ravindran, Portal’s vice president of engineering, is unabashedly full of praise for his people and their work and sees this expansion in Washington as an obvious choice.
“Our team at Portal is full of top talent,” he says. “This region offers a beautiful confluence of ideas and location. We are surrounded by both tech and community. It’s what drew us all here.”
Several years ago, Prashaanth’s wife interviewed for a position in the Puget Sound and Prashaanth joined her on the trip. “At the time, I’d never been to Washington state. When we visited, I fell in love with the outdoors here. Now, I love to sail and go camping with our family,” he remembers. Prashaanth was also drawn to the idea of being at the crossroads of technology innovation and the region’s rich diversity of immigrants.
CEO Jeff Thornburg with Prashaanth Ravindran, Portal’s VP of engineering
Finding peace in Washington
Prashaanth’s mother told him that his name means ‘peace.’
“With a master’s degree in aerospace engineering and a PhD in high-speed combustion, I wonder how peaceful I am,” he said with a laugh. “I feel at home, here. When we arrived, I started volunteering. My son attends Everett schools, and I love how actively engaged local parents are. I’ve always believed in grassroots movements and it’s easy in a community like this, where kindness and compassion are a fundamental value.”
Washington’s leadership in commercialized space was a natural dovetail from the aviation industry, from a deep pool of expertise in software, hardware, advanced materials and telecom.
Yet the confluence of nature, community, creative innovation and entrepreneurial spirit not only drew Prashaanth and his family here; it’s also inspired his entire team at Portal to make this community in Washington’s Puget Sound region their home.
Prashaanth talks with visitors at Portal Space Systems
“While our neighbors in the local area around Bothell are steeped in biotech, we have an interesting niche. Tech and engineering go hand in hand. We may not be as flashy as, say Southern California, but our vibe asks, ‘What can we do to help our community?” he says.
In fact, the team keeps a running tally on the length of their daily commute.
“Mine is actually third longest,” he said, even though he lives only about 20 minutes from the office. He offers a humble brag that many on his team bike to work and spend their days engineering inter-orbit spacecraft.
As an industry, Space looks up at the sky with wonder…
And does amazing things with that curiosity.
“Space is a big venture; what we are working to create is a vehicle that goes into and out of orbit faster than a Ferrari with the economy of a Prius,” says Prashaanth. He uses this analogy often when talking about Supernova, Portal’s rapid-response multi-orbit spacecraft, in common terms.
Innovations, like those that contributed to the development of Supernova, emerge based on a cluster of factors, such as broadband satellite constellations, value-added services and human space exploration.
COO Ian Vorbach, along with Jeff Thornburg and Prashaanth Ravindran
“Space innovations are at the forefront of technology innovation,” he says. “Everything from GPS to Google Maps to agricultural crop management and cell phone service. All of these things come from some aspect of space technology.”
Companies like Portal continue to build on the region’s trailblazing role in space exploration, joining industry leaders like SpaceX, Boeing, Blue Origin and Aerojet Rocketdyne. In particular, Boeing’s aviation innovators led the way into space. One of the nation’s first space startups, Rocket Research corporation, was founded by two Boeing engineers more than 50 years ago.
“The one thing that I’ve learned is that Washington state is an ideas community,” Prashaanth says. “This region brings a balance of nature, a supportive community and entrepreneurial innovators. It’s a good balance. Beautiful surroundings full of great thinkers with a great mindset.”
More about Portal Space Systems
Portal Space Systems develops advanced spacecraft that redefine what’s possible in space mobility. Headquartered in Bothell, Washington, the company’s flagship spacecraft, Supernova, enables high delta-v maneuverability, multi-orbit operations, and refuelability – unlocking missions previously out of reach. Designed for both commercial and defense applications, Supernova extends operational lifespans, enhances mission flexibility, and ensures sustained presence in space. Backed by funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and Space Force, Portal is expanding its team and partnering with industry leaders to drive the next generation of in-space mobility.
For more information, please visit the Portal Space Systems website.