{"id":19502,"date":"2016-01-12T20:56:57","date_gmt":"2016-01-12T12:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/space-ventures-get-shout-outs-in-state-of-the-state-address-and-state-of-the-union\/"},"modified":"2016-01-12T20:56:57","modified_gmt":"2016-01-12T12:56:57","slug":"space-ventures-get-shout-outs-in-state-of-the-state-address-and-state-of-the-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/space-ventures-get-shout-outs-in-state-of-the-state-address-and-state-of-the-union\/","title":{"rendered":"Space ventures get shout-outs in State of the State Address \u2013 and State of the Union"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Jay
In his State of the State Address, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee pointed to Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin and SpaceX as aerospace success stories. (Credit: Office of the Governor)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even though they happened far from the Evergreen State, last year\u2019s Pluto flyby and the rocket landings accomplished by Blue Origin and SpaceX were among the \u201cbig moments\u201d mentioned today in Washington Gov. Jay Inslee\u2019s State of the State Address.<\/p>\n

Hours later, President Barack Obama invoked America\u2019s space effort as a model for innovation in his own State of the Union Address to Congress.<\/p>\n

State of the State: \u2018We\u2019re at the forefront\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Inslee\u2019s shout-out served to highlight the Seattle area\u2019s space companies, which play key roles in space missions that unfold thousands or even billions of miles away. Aerojet Rocketdyne\u2019s Redmond facility, for example, worked on the thrusters for NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover mission to Mars as well as the Pluto-watching New Horizons spacecraft.<\/p>\n

Blue Origin, the Kent-based company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, successfully launched and landed its suborbital New Shepard rocket at a West Texas test range in November. And California-based SpaceX, which landed its Falcon 9 first-stage booster in Florida after an orbital launch in December, opened up a Redmond office last year to develop a new fleet of telecom satellites.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how Inslee phrased it in today\u2019s address to the Washington Legislature in Olympia:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSince we all last met, we\u2019ve celebrated some big moments in the state of Washington. I want to begin today by taking a moment to highlight some of these.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe witnessed a new milestone in space exploration. Remember those incredible photos of Pluto last year? We know how that spacecraft got there. Nine years ago, propulsion engineers over at Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond were working on the rockets for the New Horizons mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd now we\u2019re at the forefront with companies like Blue Origin and Space X. They\u2019ve brought the future of space travel to our state, successfully launching \u2014 and landing \u2014 rockets over the past year. It\u2019s exciting these companies recognize that the greatest aerospace workers in the world are found right here in the state of Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Inslee\u2019s comments are likely hearten the advocates of a measure that would give space companies the same tax breaks that commercial airplane manufacturers currently enjoy. And the fact that he didn\u2019t mention the state\u2019s largest airplane manufacturer, Boeing, may turn some heads. Just this month, the state Department of Revenue ruled that Boeing and other aerospace companies will have to start disclosing how they\u2019ve benefited from their tax breaks.<\/p>\n

But Inslee didn\u2019t get into any specifics relating to the state\u2019s aerospace industry. Instead, the space-centric remarks served as an inspirational prelude for a run-through of the governor\u2019s legislative agenda. The main points of that agenda include increased funding for education and the mental health system. Inslee also voiced support for the \u201cRaise Up Washington\u201d initiative to boost the minimum wage and mandate sick-leave benefits.<\/p>\n

On the environmental front, Inslee said the state needs \u201cto continue to take action on protecting our clean air and clean water, particularly from the threat of carbon pollution.\u201d The governor said he was heartened by the business community\u2019s engagement in developing a Clean Air Rule to limit carbon emissions.<\/p>\n

\"Obama
The webcast of the State of the Union Address paired President Barack Obama\u2019s comments on America\u2019s spirit of discovery with a picture of a NASA astronaut on the moon. (Credit: White House)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

State of the Union: \u2018Discovery is in our DNA\u2019<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Like Inslee, Obama turned to space exploration primarily to set the scene for other policy initiatives. As he spoke, the White House\u2019s webcast flashed graphics that included a snapshot of the president gazing at Venus and the moon, a SpaceX rocket blasting off and an astronaut saluting the U.S. flag on the moon.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a key excerpt from the State of the Union Address:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cSixty years ago, when the Russians beat us into space, we didn\u2019t deny Sputnik was up there. We didn\u2019t argue about the science, or shrink our research and development budget. We built a space program almost overnight, and 12 years later, we were walking on the moon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat spirit of discovery is in our DNA. America is Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers and George Washington Carver. America is Grace Hopper and Katherine Johnson and Sally Ride. America is every immigrant and entrepreneur from Boston to Austin to Silicon Valley racing to shape a better future. That\u2019s who we are. And over the past seven years, we\u2019ve nurtured that spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve protected an open Internet, and taken bold new steps to get more students and low-income Americans online. We\u2019ve launched next-generation manufacturing hubs, and online tools that give an entrepreneur everything he or she needs to start a business in a single day.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we can do so much more. Last year, Vice President Biden said that with a new moonshot, America can cure cancer. Last month, he worked with this Congress to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health the strongest resources that they\u2019ve had in over a decade. So tonight, I\u2019m announcing a new national effort to get it done. And because he\u2019s gone to the mat for all of us, on so many issues over the past 40 years, I\u2019m putting Joe in charge of Mission Control. For the loved ones we\u2019ve all lost, for the families that we can still save, let\u2019s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all. What do you say, Joe? Let\u2019s make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Characterizing the fight against cancer as a \u201cnew moonshot\u201d is likely to resonate with Seattle-based biotech ventures including Juno Therapeutics, Navigating Cancer, Adaptive Biotechnologies, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and Nohla Therapeutics. Will Biden\u2019s efforts add more firepower to the fight? Stay tuned. \u2026<\/p>\n