In a galaxy far, far away, California has a chance to stake its claim — or so the state’s lawmakers say.
Several dozen members of California’s congressional delegation, including a handful from Southern California, asked Gov. Gavin Newsom last week to prioritize investment in the space industry, part of a move among leaders responding to recent job cuts and funding shortfalls.
In their letter, 40 House members and the state’s two senators emphasized the need for greater state leadership and continued investment, which they said will bring to California high-paying jobs and large economic growth.
“With the increased cadence in commercial, national security and civil space launch, there is not a better time to position California to be a global leader in the space economy,” the lawmakers said.
Because the state is already home to several federal space facilities, including the Vandenberg Space Force Base, the Los Angeles Air Force Base, NASA facilities like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Ames Research Center as well as a strong satellite manufacturing industry, lawmakers said: “California is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the rapidly growing space economy.”
California has a rich heritage of spaceflight, said Madhu Thangavelu, a lecturer of astronautical engineering at the University of Southern California. The state, instrumental in landing men on the moon in the space race, is home to offices or headquarters of several industry heavyweights, including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, NASA and SpaceX.
“In the past 10 years, we’ve seen the private space sector take off,” said Thangavelu, also a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “This happened the most in Southern California, to be specific.”
“No other state could compete with California because of our heritage,” he said. “There’s a whole culture around human spaceflight that exists in all of California.”
Since 2019, California…
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