California is turning up the dial on space industry growth, launching a new task force to drive space industry expansion, workforce development and infrastructure investment led by the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz).
“We are committed to taking the nation’s space program to the next frontier.” — Gov. Gavin Newsom
GO-Biz is a key partner in our work to create a thriving space industry around Vandenberg SFB and the Central Coast, alongside Santa Barbara County, Cal Poly, Deloitte and Space Launch Delta 30. And a space-focused entity similar to Space Florida that could funnel a range of efforts from regulation to attraction to incentives has been a key priority in our jointly developed commercial space master plan.
“This is something we’ve been evangelizing and working toward since our partnership began, and it’s great to see it come together. This effort has potential to rapidly advance an already strong space industry on the Central Coast and throughout California, launching us even higher in the global space economy.” — REACH President/CEO Melissa James
News of the task force comes just after Newsom threw his support behind Vandenberg as the permanent home for the U.S. Space Force Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). The governor joins a growing coalition of regional leaders advocating for Vandenberg’s selection, including U.S. Sens. Feinstein and Padilla and U.S. Reps. Carbajal and Panetta as well as our two counties and dozens of cities and civic and academic organizations across the Central Coast. Read more about our STARCOM advocacy.
And check out these impressive stats from the task force announcement:
- The state is home to a third of all U.S. space tech companies
- 85% of the total capital invested in U.S. space-related companies this year has gone to California
- The industry provides 500,000+ high-paying jobs across the state and $66+ million in economic activity, more than the agricultural and entertainment industries combined
- CalCompetes has awarded close to $200 million in tax credits and grants to aerospace companies since 2019, including three to companies expanding operations at Vandenberg
