For nearly a century, California has been the go-to location for space exploration. A rocket-firing program at the Pasadena Jet Propulsion Laboratory began in 1936. The United States Air Force and NASA were Silicon Valley’s initial customers. Built and landed in the Mojave Desert, the Space Shuttles were based there. That was, of course, back then. It’s been a decade since the final space shuttle mission launched, and since then, companies like Virgin Orbit, Blue Origin, and SpaceX have dominated LEO operations. A new space race has broken out throughout the country, with numerous spaceports vying to become the hub of an industry that Morgan Stanley predicts could nearly triple in size to $1 trillion a year by 2040 if nothing else. In 2020 alone, investors invested $30.1 billion in space companies.
Vandenberg Space Force Base in California’s Central Coast is a prominent contender for a spaceport. A new name was given to the site in May, following its identification as the emerging military branch’s headquarters for Western Range rocket launches. Vandenberg has launched more satellites than Cape Canaveral in the past. However, this was back in the days of tight expenditures due to the Cold War. Using a mix of public and private funds, how will Vandenberg become the hub for commercial space?
Even though the Central Coast of California appears to be the epitome of the California Dream with its 730,000 residents, this is an issue that needs to be addressed. More than half of middle-class people are considering moving out of the state due to rising housing costs and an abundance of high-paying employment. The closure of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, the area’s largest private job, has exacerbated the problem.
Regional Economic Action Coalition (REACH) was created by a group of business executives in 2019 as a new plan for the Central Coast. A $4.5 billion economic engine right in their neighborhood was the focus of REACH’s workshop series, which brought together Deloitte and local and state stakeholders. According to REACH CEO Melissa James, “Vandenberg was a remarkable opportunity for us.”
As a result of REACH’s efforts, over 2,000 employment will be created annually through 2030. The first step is to bring in more businesses to Vandenberg. Secondly, improve and invest in the local infrastructure. Third, promote the Central Coast as a new destination for space by educating the public and promoting local identity.
According to Deloitte & Touche LLP’s senior manager Steve Hamilton, who led the plan development with REACH and is a leader in Deloitte’s infrastructure practice, “REACH and its regional partners have coalesced around a big, bold vision—activating the plan can help anchor regional growth around commercial space jobs.”
SpaceX and United Launch Alliance are already delivering on the first half of REACH’s three-point plan, with regular launches for NASA, the US Department of Defense, and commercial satellite operators, with the first rocket launch by Firefly Aerospace expected for September 2021.
Because of the unique location in the arctic region, Vandenberg has long been a suitable location for spacecraft that provide internet connectivity and earth observation data for climate change research. Space domain awareness is also maintained by the base, which monitors objects in low-Earth orbit. For commercial satellite operators, Vandenberg’s unclassified information about the objects in low-Earth orbit as well as access to the base’s talent pipeline can be extremely beneficial.
“Vandenberg Space Force Base and the Central Coast can play a critical role in America’s commercial space ventures,” says Jeff Matthews, a specialized leader in Deloitte’s space practice. When developing our long-term strategy, we asked ourselves, “How can we take advantage of a wide range of missions, from space traffic management to earth observation, which can better detect forest fires and enhance precision agriculture?”
The construction of a mission development zone on-site at Vandenberg Space Force Base, complete with manufacturing, payload processing, and possibly local space tourist facilities, is a top priority in terms of infrastructure. The plans also call for the upgrading of launch pads and on-base operations to make launches more efficient and cost-effective.
Education is the final and possibly the most critical element in the job-creation puzzle. With the help of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and UC Santa Barbara, 9,000 scientific and engineering graduates are produced each year across the commercial space industry.
According to James, “Cal Poly has the most aerospace graduates in the entire state—and many of them leave the area due to brain drain.” In order to persuade them to stay, we need to create positions for them to fill and improve the quality of life and competitiveness of the area.
The final REACH plan was adopted in June, and unlike other roadmaps, REACH had already formed a coalition to make it a reality before the final plan was authorized. As of July 2020, REACH and Deloitte were joined by the Space Force, Cal Poly, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to carry out the plan—the only coalition of its sort among spaceports. The County of Santa Barbara quickly became a member of the MOU because it is the home county of Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Early and deliberate collaboration has been key to the coalition’s success, according to Matt Matthews. Based on our early successes, I expect us to continue to advance regional economic development in other rising growth areas and industries on the Central Coast.”
For space exploration, California’s gravity has changed.
