Local leaders unveil master plan to develop Central Coast commercial space industry
VANDENBERG SPB, Calif. -- Local leaders unveiled a new phase of a Master Plan Thursday morning that aims to establish a thriving commercial space industry on the Central Coast.
The broad-based coalition taking part in the announcement included the State of California, Santa Barbara County, Space Launch Delta 30, Cal Poly, REACH and Deloitte.
During a 90-minute online presentation, the group identified three main objectives: attracting space industry companies to the Central Coast, modernizing and investing in infrastructure, and strengthening the region’s space identity — and requirements for attaining them, including:
● Creation of a “mission zone” to support increased commercial activity
● Targeted infrastructure investment to improve regional transportation to and from other
major hubs
● Incentives to spur commercial space activity
● Development of a skilled workforce by building a talent pipeline
Speakers during the webinar included: Rep. Salud Carbajal, Col. Joseph Tringe, Space Launch Delta 30, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong, Santa Barbara County Supervisors Bob Nelson and Joan Hartmann, Deloitte Managing Director Josh Nisbet and Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development Director Dee Dee Myers.
“This plan serves as a cornerstone in sustaining and expanding California’s position at the
forefront of the aerospace and commercial space industries, pushing the boundaries of innovation and creating the jobs of the future,” Myers said in a press release. “It’s an essential piece in maximizing the incredible assets the state has at what’s now Vandenberg Space Force Base, driving not just private investment but state and federal investment, too.”
To read the complete 56-page Master Plan, click here.
