Leaders See an Economic Boost Coming From Vandenberg in 2027

GOLETA, Calif. (KEYT) - The economic boost for Santa Barbara County going forward could be in the launches happening at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

It is on track to have about 90 launches this year, many of them Falcon 9 rockets with reusable boosters and with Starlink satellites.

Aerospace will be a major jobs creator and a pipeline for local students, starting in high schools to dream of creating the technology or working in positions to deliver the products in the world wide space exploration plans.

Hundreds of new employees are expected to be hired annually.

Some of the jobs can be obtain right out of Community Colleges and workers can continue their education and involvement for years forward.

Meslissa James, is the CEO of Reach and speaks strongly about the opportunities ahead in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. The key development areas are clean tech, health and life sciences, agriculture and aerospace, such as Vandenberg.

Works are well paid above the regions average and many are hoping they can live and work in the same area within their budgets.

She spoke about the impact of Vandenberg going forward at the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce State of the County Economic Summit Thursday.

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