A company developing an orbital platform for manufacturing products in space and recycling space junk has chosen Colorado as its headquarters.
State officials said Thursday that startup Think Orbital is also considering Florida as its headquarters. With 11 employees, the company will initially focus on research and development and will create 60 new jobs with an average wage of $80,433.
“Colorado is the epicenter of the aerospace industry, and we are thrilled to welcome ThinkOrbital to Colorado, bring 60 new high-paying jobs to Coloradoans, and join the innovative and supportive aerospace community.” , Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
Colorado’s aerospace industry is the second largest in the nation, after California. The Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation and the Colorado Space Alliance report that there are 290 aerospace companies in the state, and he more than 500 companies that provide space-related products and services.
According to the report, aerospace employment increased 11.2% in the nine-county Denver area and northern Colorado from 2019 to 2020, and increased 30.1% from 2015 to 2020.
This growth was one of the key factors in ThinkOrbital’s decision to locate its headquarters in Colorado, according to state officials. The company also cites the region’s highly educated and skilled workforce.
ThinkOrbital is developing a platform that can be deployed in a single launch and assembled autonomously in orbit. These structures can be used for manufacturing in space, servicing satellites, processing and storing space debris, and military missions.
“Our ThinkPlatform can be scaled up to deliver 4,000 cubic meters of internal volume into space in a single launch, which is four times the volume of the International Space Station,” said former Air Force Colonel Lee Rosen. (company co-founder, president and chief strategy officer) said. , said in a statement.
“Colorado offers a great opportunity to build and test our technology on Earth, with a strong talent pool, a new and rapidly growing space industry, and access to several U.S. Space Force facilities. Graduation.
Colorado businesses are at the forefront of efforts to commercialize space, said Eve Lieberman, executive director of the state’s Bureau of Economic Development and International Trade.
Companies are increasingly interested in exploiting the properties of low earth orbit. This condition facilitates manipulation of materials, accelerates development cycles, and differentially grows cell cultures, facilitating research on therapeutics for diseases.
ThinkOrbital has received two US Space Force Orbital Prime contracts for 2022. These contracts are for developing technology to remove space debris and other space services. The company has subleased space in Lafayette and is considering permanent locations in the Denver and Boulder areas.
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