Ferguson launches council to boost WA’s commercial space industry

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson hopes the state’s space entrepreneurs can pilot their industry to infinity and beyond.

To that end, Ferguson signed an executive order Monday night launching the 23-person Washington Space Council. Its mission is to come up with bold ideas to propel Washington’s commercial space industry to new heights — and possibly development of a launch facility somewhere in the state.

“Washington has deep roots in the space industry,” Ferguson said in a release issued Tuesday. “But the industry moves at an incredible pace. To remain a national leader, we cannot be complacent. My council will help us innovate and adapt as this sector rapidly grows.”

Ferguson signed the executive order at the Museum of Flight in Seattle at an event to kick-off  Seattle Space Week.

Washington is home to more than 90 space companies employing more than 13,000 workers, according to the governor’s office. Collectively, these businesses generate about $4.6 billion in annual economic activity and $1.6 billion in annual payroll. Approximately two-thirds of the world’s operational satellites are built in Washington, the press release noted.

The state’s ties to space exploration are deep. For example, Boeing workers in Kent built the lunar roving vehicles used on the moon during the Apollo missions in the 1970s. 

More recently, several Washington firms contributed critical components for the Artemis II mission in which a crew of four astronauts traveled around the far side of the moon and back to Earth.

Members of the Washington Space Council include Michael Edmonds, senior vice president of Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos and Cornelia Rosu, senior director with SpaceX, the firm created by Elon Musk. This week, a SpaceX Starship reached orbit and deployed Starlink satellites before returning. Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, is headquartered in Redmond.

Philip Johnston, co-founder and CEO of Starcloud, which envisions establishing data centers in space, and Colin Doughlan, co-founder and CEO of Gravitics, which designs and makes space structures including orbital carriers, are serving on it, as well. 

And there are representatives from aerospace labor unions, the University of Washington and Washington State University, as well as state lawmakers and elected city officials.

This group is tasked with assessing workforce development and research needs as well as identifying barriers and opportunities for growth. It also will evaluate requirements for a Washington-based commercial launch site and other space-related infrastructure.

“It is going to elevate the industry,” said Kelly Maloney, founder and CEO of Pacific Aerospace Launch and Spaceport, who is on the council. 

“We have a diverse council made up of gig players and leaders of startups and they have their ideas on how to make Washington state more friendly to the space industry,” Maloney said in an interview Tuesday.

The group will compile its findings and recommendations into advisory reports for Ferguson but there is no time frame for delivery of the first report. The state Department of Commerce will provide staff to the council.