My View: The sky’s not the limit for Arizona’s space industry
Once something gets in your blood, it’s hard to shake.
For me, it’s space – or the “final frontier” as Captain Kirk told us years ago. It’s where I started my career, working in engineering and management roles at Ford Aerospace, Bendix Guidance Systems, Simula Technologies and General Pneumatics Corporation.
Years later I’m still curious about what’s up there. But now I’m fortunate to help shape Arizona’s role in exploring the great beyond.
Most recently, I was appointed to the Arizona Space Commission, which was formed to promote and assist development of workforce training to advance emerging technologies in the varied aspects of space exploration. Our charge is to develop and annually update a strategic plan for expanding the space, aeronautics and aviation sectors in our state.
I also serve on the organizing team of the third annual Space Summit planned for March in Tempe as a destination for attendees to explore Arizona’s space ecosystem. If you think that’s a limited community, consider our state is involved in launch services, validation, component testing, space situational awareness and mining. I helped share some of these details as an editor of “Catalyzing Arizona’s Space Economy: Impact Report from the 2024 Summit.”
Closer to my regular gig, the Arizona Technology Council is launching an Aerospace, Aviation, Space and Defense Committee to help position Arizona as the global hub of aerospace excellence. Our plan for the committee is to drive innovation and address critical aerospace, aviation, space and defense challenges by encouraging collaboration among industry leaders, academia, government agencies and emerging companies.
The new committee is an extension of the Council’s annual Aerospace, Aviation, Defense and Manufacturing Conference, where attendees discuss the aerospace ecosystem and manufacturing while connecting with thought leaders on the latest industry trends, challenges and forecasts.
Tapping into the potential of space
We’re not alone in our interests beyond the Earth’s surface. I represent the Council on the planning committee for the first Advanced Air Mobility Summit set for Oct. 29 at SkySong, the ASU Scottsdale Innovation Center. With partners including Greater Phoenix Economic Council and Arizona Commerce Authority and sponsors like Honeywell and Lambert, the summit intends to explore innovation in aerospace and aviation as we discuss how cutting-edge technologies will be integrated into Arizona’s airspace, offering insights into the future of this sustainable and safe form of air travel.
There also are others around the state already tapping into the potential of space. Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration brings together faculty, scientists and students to play roles in dozens of active space missions. The teams lead instrument development, build spaceflight hardware, collect and analyze data, and train students to work on missions studying the Moon, asteroids, the solar system and the universe.
In Tucson, The University Arizona Space Institute supports space research across the university by providing resources and expertise. Projects include OSIRIS-APEX (extended mission of OSIRIS-REx), Aspera and Pandora (two NASA SmallSats), GUSTO (a NASA Explorer balloon payload), and CatSat (a student-led SmallSat).
Arizona also is home to many “primes,” referring to the companies that design and manufacture spacecraft systems for government and commercial use. They include established companies such as Raytheon Technologies, Honeywell Aerospace and Northrop Grumman.
Add to the mix the new arrivals, including Virgin Galactic, which has built a manufacturing facility in Mesa where final assembly of its next-generation Delta spaceships is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2025. Major subassemblies will included the wing, the fuselage and the feathering system.
Tempe is home to ViaSat. Employees there are involved in building satellite payloads, ground stations and radar for military equipment and in-flight user terminals.
Blue Origin has opened a Phoenix office to contribute to avionics, systems engineering and supply chain management for the private space company’s programs. They include developing reusable launch vehicles and in-space systems that are safe, low-cost and serve the needs of civil, commercial and defense customers.
Let’s not forget what is happening in southern Arizona. Tucson-based Phantom Space Corporation has experience in designing, manufacturing and operating small satellites. The company also is maker of Daytona launch vehicles.
FreeFall Aerospace, also in Tucson, is builder of lightweight, low-power antennas suited to support satellites for continuous global communications. FreeFall’s technology also has the potential to revolutionize communication for small unmanned aerial vehicles and other aerial platforms
Paragon Space Development Corporation in Tucson is an industry leader in life support and thermal control solutions for extreme environments in space, as well as defense and commercial markets.
BlackStar Orbital Technologies is working to have its engineering and manufacturing facility in Sierra Vista operating by 2026. This facility will develop and produce the BlackStar Spacecraft, the company’s spaceplane-satellite hybrid.
Words alone cannot capture the excitement generated by these ventures. As I noted earlier, space is in my blood. And it appears the interest also is in a new generation as my son, Zane, already is charting his own course in a career that already has included stops in the U.S. Air Force, National Air and Space Intelligence Center and now AtlasX, part of the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command.
There may be a place for you and yours as we all see what space offers Arizona in the years ahead. Ready for lift-off?
Steve Zylstra is president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.