Colorado's aerospace industry is generating buzz. Consider this: We hold the No. 1 spot for private-sector aerospace workers per capita; we are home to the second-largest aerospace economy; and more than 500 space-related companies and suppliers do business here.
The Colorado Space Coalition – an industry affiliate of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation – works to bring aerospace companies and talent here and was at the Space Symposium – the premier U.S. space policy and program forum and the “must attend” opportunity for information on and interaction among all sectors of space – in Colorado Springs this spring.
There’s work happening every day that makes Colorado a standout in this industry, and it’s not just the Colorado Space Coalition’s clever tagline. Here are four ways Colorado’s aerospace companies are launching innovative ideas and work:
Better Directions
Earlier this year, DigitalGlobe’s parent company, Maxar Technologies announced it will move its global headquarters to Westminster, Colorado, and will bring 800 jobs with it. From here, they provide the world with the satellite technology for GPS tracking that we use on our smartphones every day.
Rocket Power
Headquartered in Centennial, United Launch Alliance (ULA) is the nation’s most experienced space launch company, with more than 120 consecutive launches and a 100 percent mission success rate. In 2018, ULA began flights of its Atlas V rocket, carrying Boeing’s Starliner capsule in support of NASA’s Commercial Crew program, which will return astronauts to space from U.S. soil.
Spacecraft and Ports
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) is building the next generation of spacecrafts: Its Dream Chaser is a winged, lifting-body spacecraft designed for missions, including cargo resupply to the International Space Station for NASA. And, Colorado has applied to be home to a spaceport in Adams County. If Spaceport Colorado achieves operational status, the Dream Chaser could land here. For scientists, researchers and medical personnel, the benefits of the near-immediate accessibility afforded by runway landings are unmatched.
Mission to Mars
Virtually every space-related company in Colorado is working on the mission to Mars. NASA’s Mars 2020 mission will be launched by ULA, with the Mars rover scheduled to land in 2021 for a two-year exploration of the Martian surface. Lockheed Martin Space Systems will build the aeroshell and heat shield that will protect the rover during its journey to Mars and descent to the planet’s surface. SNC’s Space Systems will build critical hardware for the rover.
These are just a few examples of Colorado aerospace business in action. Of course there are many other major uses, including military defense and rocket science (literally). For more information on what makes Colorado a mile closer to space, visit the Colorado Space Coalition’s website for the most recent news on projects.
Dani Barger is the senior digital marketing specialist for the Metro Denver EDC.
You gotta love our sky. Take a minute to look outside right now—beautiful isn’t it? We have thriving industries in Colorado who look at the sky and see their careers—that sky delivers on their company’s vision and mission.
Here’s what’s currently happening with our aerospace and aviation industries:
Flying by Pluto. Our own Ball Aerospace built the “eyes” for the New Horizons mission to Pluto. (By the way, the imaging instrument is named Ralph.) Nine years in the making, New Horizons flew by Pluto on Tuesday and Ralph collected navigational images and thermal maps of the dwarf planet and its moon Charon—allowing us to see Pluto like we never have before.
But Ball isn’t the only Colorado company that played a role in that fly-by. Lockheed Martin built the Atlas V rocket it was launched from, University of Colorado Boulder students, faculty and alums built an instrument that collected and analyzed dust particles and Dr. Alan Stern, the executive director of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, is the principal investigator for this mission.
Our aerospace companies continue to put Colorado on the world map as they lead in space exploration.
Celebrating 20 years. On Friday we know you will be hosting big parties for GPS Day as we mark 20 years of GPS (Global Positioning System). GPS was developed to meet the needs of the U.S. military, but think how much value it adds to our daily lives – there really are no good excuses for being lost anymore thanks to GPS and Siri. In fact, there are now 4 billion GPS-enabled devices worldwide! And GPS is operated by the 2nd Space Operations Squadron at Schriever Air Force Base, right here in Colorado. Plus, Colorado’s own United Launch Alliance (or the company’s heritage launch vehicles) has launched every single GPS satellite into space. And, Colorado companies are working hard on the next generation of this technology—to that I say “beam me up, Scotty.”
Putting Coloradans to Work. The metro area has the highest concentration of private-sector aerospace employment in the country, and we’re growing. Lockheed Martin has opened a radio frequency communications research and development lab here. In the lab engineers will test communications technologies for satellites. There are already some 140 engineers working in the lab.
Learning to fly. If you want to be a pilot, the Denver metro area is the place to learn—or that’s what we’re seeing based on two training facilities deciding to locate here. At the end of June, United announced it would consolidate its global pilot training operations to Stapleton—and we’ll be seeing a lot of pilots: 12,000 fly for United around the world! Plus, just this week we found out that FlightSafety International will bring its flight training and simulation center to the Denver International Business Center just outside the airport. A big win for the cities and counties around the airport.
When it comes to our aerospace and aviation industries, the sky is literally the limit. They’re just one of the key industries in Colorado that keeps our economic engine humming. Now, look at your window again—it really is beautiful, isn’t it?
Kelly Brough is the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce.
[Photo by Zach Dischner]
On December 5, the world watched the unmanned spacecraft Orion, a white capsule mounted atop United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy—a bundle of three Broncos-orange rocket boosters—take off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Ascending 3,600 miles above the earth, traveling through radiation fields, the capsule sized just over 300 cubic feet circled the earth twice before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego some four and a half hours after leaving its launch pad.
“If you think about every journey, it starts with a first step,” said Lockheed Martin Space Systems External Communications Director Matt Kramer. (more…)
Late last night, NASA rolled out to the launch pad the Orion crew module, the first spacecraft designed to carry human explorers on deep space missions beyond the moon, to asteroids, and eventually Mars. The rollout was one of the final steps in preparing the spacecraft for its first test flight aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral on Dec. 4.
While the first test flight signifies a huge step for the nation in our return to human spaceflight, Colorado leaders have launched an aggressive campaign that is designed to showcase how the state’s aerospace industry has played a key role in Orion’s development and is leading the innovation that is powering the nation’s return to human space flight.
Colorado-based Lockheed Martin Space Systems leads the Orion industry team as the prime contractor building the Orion spacecraft, after winning the contract from NASA in 2006. Another Colorado company, ULA, will launch the Orion spacecraft on a Delta IV Heavy rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful launch vehicle flying today.
The uncrewed flight will take Orion to an altitude of approximately 3,600 miles above the Earth’s surface, more than 15 times farther than the International Space Station’s orbital position, before reentering the atmosphere and landing in the Pacific Ocean four and a half hours later.
With a focus on how “The Next Giant Leap into Space begins in Colorado,” the campaign is taking to the airwaves and social media in an effort to shine a national spotlight on Colorado’s impressive aerospace economy.
“Colorado aerospace companies are at the forefront of space travel, exploration, and research,” said Gov. John Hickenlooper. “By celebrating the leading role that our companies have played in the nation’s return to human spaceflight with Orion, we also spread awareness of how this extremely high-tech, high-value sector benefits Colorado businesses and our economy.”
Major space projects such as the Orion spacecraft have contributed close to 170,000 space-related jobs in the state, which is also home to more than 400 space-related companies. Aerospace is one of Colorado’s highest paying industry sectors, with aerospace workers making an average annual salary of $127,000. Colorado also ranks first in the nation for the number of private aerospace workers per capita.
The “The Next Giant Leap into Space begins in Colorado” campaign will not only celebrate the Orion spacecraft launch, but will also highlight these key industry facts.
Key elements of the campaign include features on Colorado-based aerospace engineers and scientists who helped develop Orion, support of Lockheed Martin’s #MarsWalk social media campaign, and the gubernatorial proclamation of Dec. 4 as Orion Space Exploration Day in Colorado. The campaign will also focus heavily on social media, enlisting Colorado space companies to spread awareness of Colorado’s “#MileCloser” role with the upcoming Orion launch through their digital networks.
"Colorado has been a world-class leader in space exploration and innovation since the founding of our industry, and it continues to be a place where space businesses thrive," said Jim Crocker, Vice President and General Manager of Civil Space at Lockheed Martin. "This campaign not only showcases the important steps NASA is taking to push the boundaries of exploration, it also sends a message to the nation that our state continues to be at the cutting edge of aerospace technology.”
“This is a tremendous milestone for the nation’s next steps into deep space and for Colorado aerospace,” said Tory Bruno, president and CEO of ULA. “The Orion project is yet another example of the team effort and innovative relationships demonstrated between Colorado companies.”
To learn more about Colorado's space economy, visit the Colorado Space Coalition's website at www.spacecolorado.org.
Janet Fritz is the senior director of marketing and technology for the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation. This post originally appeared here.
[Photo by: NASA Kennedy]
