Positioning Washington State in the Global NewSpace Race

Washington State is poised to launch as a space hub in the global newspace business. Local companies such as Blue Origin, Stratolaunch, Spaceflight, Tethers Unlimited and Planetary Resources are advantaged by a pioneering culture, access to software, big data, and capital. But the fierce global competition poses unique challenges for policymakers as they race to position their localities, states, and countries in a projected $600 billion global space economy by the 2030s. These include the dual-use nature of the technology that cuts across commercial and military realities, and the weakness of legal and regulatory frameworks. This Task Force will pinpoint the nature of the challenges, and recommend how Washington State, Seattle, and local actors can create the right policies to succeed.