{"id":18343,"date":"2018-09-27T20:43:47","date_gmt":"2018-09-27T12:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/economic-report-lays-out-strategies-to-boost-washingtons-1-8b-space-industry\/"},"modified":"2018-09-27T20:43:47","modified_gmt":"2018-09-27T12:43:47","slug":"economic-report-lays-out-strategies-to-boost-washingtons-1-8b-space-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/economic-report-lays-out-strategies-to-boost-washingtons-1-8b-space-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic report lays out strategies to boost Washington\u2019s $1.8B space industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hardware is spread across an assembly area at Blue Origin\u2019s production facility in Kent, Wash. A new report names Blue Origin as Puget Sound\u2019s largest regional employer in the space industry. (Credit: Blue Origin)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A newly published economic report estimates the space industry\u2019s contribution to Washington state\u2019s economy at $1.8 billion and 6,200 jobs in 2018 \u2014 and goes on to suggest ways to boost the industry to a higher orbit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe central Puget Sound region is already a worldwide leader in aerospace and information technology, and we plan on being a world leader in the space industry as well,\u201d Terry Ryan, a member of the Snohomish County Council and president of the Puget Sound Regional Council\u2019s Economic Development Board, said today in a news release.<\/p>\n

The regional council\u2019s 60-page report, titled \u201cWashington State Space Economy,\u201d may be the first economic study of the Evergreen State\u2019s aerospace industry that doesn\u2019t lead off with Boeing.<\/p>\n

Instead, the study highlights the role of Blue Origin, the space venture created by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos in 2000. Blue Origin\u2019s workforce has already reached past the 1,500-employee mark, and Bezos has said he spends $1 billion annually to support the venture. (It should be noted, however, that much of that money goes toward development work in Texas and Florida.)<\/p>\n

The report says Blue Origin \u201cis now the largest regional employer in the space sector.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe founding of the Blue Origin headquarters in Kent has helped to boost the central Puget Sound region as a major location for space-related activities in the nation and across the world,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n

The report considers the economic contributions from Boeing Defense, Space and Security, which has employees in Kent, Tukwila and Everett \u2014 but not from Boeing Commercial Airplanes, which has a much larger presence in Washington state. Past studies have estimated the wider aerospace industry\u2019s overall contribution to Washington state\u2019s economy at nearly $70 billion annually, with Boeing accounting for much of that activity.<\/p>\n

In addition to Blue Origin and Boeing, today\u2019s report highlights home-grown space ventures such as Spaceflight Industries and Planetary Resources, as well as companies that are based elsewhere but have a significant presence in the state, such as SpaceX and Aerojet Rocketdyne. Stratolaunch Systems, the space venture created by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, also comes in for a mention even though most of its development work is done at California\u2019s Mojave Air and Space Port.<\/p>\n