Washington State's Commercial Space Industry

WASHINGTON STATE SPACE EXPLORATION

Washington State Department of Commerce

SPACE EXPLORA A BOLD VISION FOR

Washington State Department of Commerce

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Washington State has been an integral part of 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 and structures that are taking us to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

The state’s unique mix of established and newer companies led Forbes magazine to dub Washington “The Silicon Valley for Space.”

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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 federal space budgets tightened in recent years, Washington businesses stepped in to explore new markets such as broadband satellite constellations, value-added services and human space exploration.

New companies such as Blue Origin, Spaceflight Industries, Planetary Resources and Vulcan Aerospace built on the region’s pioneer role in space exploration.

Washington State Department of Commerce

This pioneering work included the design and manufacture of the lunar rovers by Boeing in the 1970s and the Inertial Upper Stage, which launched the Magellan, Galileo and Ulysses probes on their planetary and solar missions. Aerojet, which was founded by Boeing engineers, has provided rocket engines for all of NASA’s most important missions, from the Voyager probes that are currently 12 billion miles from Earth to the rockets that allowed Curiosity to touch down safely on the surface of Mars.

This rich history of innovation has provided Washington with a highly qualified workforce of

engineers and experts who are not only experienced in aerospace systems and manufacturing, but also software, hardware, propulsion, composites, big data and telecommunications.

Though Washington’s location on the map makes it unsuitable as a launch site, this hasn’t stopped innovative companies in the state from creating the next generation of space vehicles and systems.

South of Seattle, Blue Origin is designing and manufacturing the new BE-4 rocket motors that will power its New Glenn rocket as well as United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan launch system. At Aerojet, 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 such as Spaceflight to create new business models such as BlackSky Global, 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.

Photo Courtesy Blue Origin Images

Washington companies produce hundreds of rocket engines each year. www.choosewashingtonstate.com

OUR SOLAR SYSTE PROPULSION Aerojet Rocketdyne: Its 450-person workforce produces 200 to 500 rocket engines a year at their Redmond, Washington facility, from tiny rockets to keep satellites properly positioned to ones rated at 600 pounds of thrust or more.

Helion Energy: Is developing a magneto-inertial fusion technology for propulsion.

MSNW: Manufactures new space propulsion technology.

SPACE SYSTEMS Boeing: Puget Sound workers provide Broadband SatCom Network operations, administration and management duties to global ground stations and design support for the Starliner crew capsule, which utilizes interior elements found on the lastet Boeing commercial jets.

Janicki Industries: Manufactures production tooling and fly-away parts for spacecraft, including the Boeing Starliner’s Lower Pressure Dome.

Planetary Resources: Created an earth-observation project called Ceres, which will use infrared and hyperspectral sensors to assist in the management of the planet’s natural resources, and is working on technologies to be able to explore and mine asteroids.

Systima Technologies: Manufactures separation and deployment systems for spacecraft.

Tethers Unlimited: Designs and manufactures power, propulsion, actuation and communications systems for small satellites, robotic technologies for on-orbit fabrication and assembly, software defined radio communications, and 3D printed radiation shielding.

Washington State Department of Commerce

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SATELLITES Carlisle Interconnect Technologies: Manufactures TVS, EMI, Filter, and RF/Microwave connectors for space and satellite applications.

Cobalt Enterprises: Builds satellite components.

Electroimpact: Manufactures all forms of satellite tooling, tests satellites, and provides satellite transport services.

Kymeta: Manufactures satellite antennas.

RBC Signals: Provides real-time space communications technologies and services for satellite operators.

LAUNCH SYSTEMS Blue Origin: Performs engineering, design and production of rockets motors, the reusable New Shepard spacecraft and related systems.

Spaceflight Industries: Provides launch services, mission management and connectivity for small satellite missions or constellations ranging from 1 kg up to 300 kg in payload.

SpaceX: Engineering for the privately held space company’s broadband satellite program.

Vulcan Aerospace: Developing an air launch system capable of transporting payloads to low earth orbit using a carrier aircraft as a mobile launch vehicle.

www.choosewashingtonstate.com

JOIN OUR LEGENDARY SPACE CLUSTER Washington is at the leading edge of the revolution in commercial space exploration. Join our space cluster and work with some of the brightest people and most imaginative companies on the earth (or any other planet). Our team of experts will be happy to explore opportunities with you, connect you to potential partners and customers and help you set up shop, whether you’re a major industry player or a two-person startup.

Phone: (206) 256-6100 Email: moreinfo@choosewashingtonstate.com www.choosewashingtonstate.com

Photos Courtesy: Blue Origin Images & NASA Image Archive