Washington Business Fall 2019 | Washington Business | Page 33

Fifty years after America landed an astronaut on the moon, with
critical contributions from The Boeing Company, Washington’s
emerging space industry is poised for economic growth. Drawing
on the region’s aerospace and technology clusters, the industry
currently generates $1.8 billion in output, 6,200 jobs and a payroll
of $610 million. Washington business and government leaders
are working together to secure and expand the industry here as
America makes plans for another moon landing.
In the half-century since Neil Armstrong
took his “small step” on the moon, public
interest in space exploration has waxed
and waned. But entrepreneurs, explorers,
visionaries and adventurers never
abandoned dreams of “the final frontier,”
dreams being realized in Washington’s
thriving space industry.