Gov. DeSantis announces $300M investment in Florida's Space Coast

milestone in florida's continued development and utilization of space technology and more specifically another major step in the rapid advance of what i call a commercialization renaissance that is taking place in our industry making space business more cost effective and accessible for us all today with this announcement we celebrate anew that our community is the vanguard of the transformative ways wave of commercial space that is taking place in the world around us and so now it is my great privilege to introduce our first speaker who will formally announce both the company and their decision regarding their future operations here in florida we're honored to have governor ron desantis with us this morning who for this audience needs no introduction but it suffices to say that he has brought stellar that's a space term academic military and management credentials to the leadership of the state as well as his energetic and principled service grounded in constitutional principles and protection of our liberties as citizens of florida since his inauguration he has moved pretty much at light speed fighting to implement reforms and new initiatives affecting teacher bonuses our education system everglades restoration uh protection of our water resources support of our veterans and most critically hurricane recovery in our state he is a real champion for growth of our industry and the opportunities in it for all of us ladies and gentlemen please join me and welcome welcoming the 46th governor of the great state of florida governor ron desantis thank you [Applause] thank you so much it's great to be in the space coast of florida which is the space capital of the world and we appreciate what's going on here and there's been a remarkable progress over the for particularly recent history and today we haven't even uh in some respects uh stellar announcement we're excited to announce that uh tarano taran orbital will be investing 300 million dollars in the space coast by bringing its commercial spacecraft and constellation facility to space florida's launch and landing facility this will be the largest satellite manufacturing facility in the entire world the project's expected to create over two thousand new jobs with an estimated annual wage of eighty four thousand dollars uh by the fourth quarter of 2025. the new campus will enable complete satellite manufacturing from the smallest components to the final product this will mean circuit boards and space vehicles satellite manufacturing is a important part of the economy here in the space coast and this really ups the ante in 2020 alone 1200 satellites were launched into space uh triple the number of satellites launched in 2019 it's currently estimated that more than 50 000 satellites will be deployed by 2030 if those estimates hold up we'll end up launching four times the number of satellites in the next decade than in the previous six decades combined and so we're excited here with this move and we know that this will have a hugely positive impact on this area this builds off a lot of success that we've had here in the space coast in recent years we've had a number of companies from sierra space to cae to red wire that have brought locations here to the state of florida um and many many more on top of that and i think people know that uh florida is a great environment for uh for doing business this particular is is great in the space coast he's got a lot of talented people in the industry and we've really reached a critical mass so so i think companies realize that they're going to be able to hire good folks we also in our education system have put a premium on preparing people for a variety of forms of employment but particularly skills and vocational base education and as you do more manufacturing in places like the space coast having those skills readily available particularly as kids are graduating high school or state colleges is really really important so we're going to continue to do that and continue to to take the lead on space but i want to thank mark bell for for his decision to do this and i think uh i don't think he's going to be disappointed i think people are going to appreciate very few people uh that end up moving operations to florida end up regretting it most of the time people really like doing it and you know over the last year and a half we've seen a lot of different things and i i know some businesses uh told their employees in other states look you have a job here i'm not even going to pay for you they want to pay to move if you want to go and most of them come and most of the employees don't regret it and so i think that we're proud of that uh we're proud of what we're doing statewide but particularly in this uh this part of the state i mean this is really unique these are unique opportunities and and i know frank and his team have worked really hard and we've seen a lot of tremendous progress so let's just keep building off that and today's announcement uh really is uh significant i mean when you talk about these satellites and and what this is going to mean uh for the space coast so so i'm excited to be here and i'm excited for this great announcement and i'm also happy to be able to invite up our lieutenant governor who's worked closely with space florida up to make a few comments good morning thank you governor desantis for being here it just shows the importance of what we're announcing today and and i'm thrilled to be a part of it uh thank you all as well the distinguished guests our elected officials our industry leaders we appreciate you being here i'd also like to thank mark bell taran orbital and our associate director of kennedy space center ms jennifer coons for being in attendance again it just shows the importance of partnerships that we've established here with space florida so as lieutenant governor and chair of the board of space florida it is indeed so exciting to watch how the space industry has reached new heights and pardon the pun but certainly how we continue to define our role in space not just phase travel and exploration but as the governor mentioned manufacturing training readiness those are things that we have put a premium on we have put a priority on making sure that we continue to expand in terms of other aspects related to the space industry terran orbital brings nearly a decade of expertise and nano micro satellite technologies to the space coast and again governor desantis and i are committed to making sure that florida is the world's premier aerospace location commercial space exploration here in florida resulted in 1.5 billion 1.5 billion in statewide investments and terrain orbital's partnership with the state further solidifies florida's reputation as the place for space we've expanded our capacity beyond rockets and launches and while we are proud to be known as the space launch capital of the world as i mentioned we want to ensure that we are keeping with the times that we're providing opportunities for our students here and throughout every corner of our great state our ecosystem continues to expand as i mentioned supply chain manufacturing logistics all important resources to our state's economy and in turn bringing thousands of high-quality high-wage jobs so again i'm proud of the work our administration has done in this area i'm proud of the work space florida has done this has been a long time coming as i mentioned to mark and so we're excited to see it come to fruition it's a dynamic partnership one that's going to continue to flourish and provide opportunities and so we know that private industries have a choice when they seek to relocate and bring their business and conduct their business and i assure you you're going to be very happy you came to florida and we're going to continue to provide great opportunities for your employees and for all your related partnerships so with that um on behalf of the space florida board of directors i thank you and i'd like to call a mr mark bell up to the stage i understand that you have a pretty unique uh successful life not just in space and business but i'll let you tell your credentials as a tony award winner thank you all again very much [Applause] uh thank you lieutenant governor uh governor desantis uh lieutenant governor nunez thank you for giving us time today for such a great announcement i'd also like to thank representative thad altman thai representative tyler sirius senator tom wright and linda weatherman for being here today with us today marks a major milestone for terran orbital and for me personally as a florida resident i am thrilled to be writing the next chapter of our company's history right here in my home state there is no better place i could think of if you had 300 million dollars to invest than investing it right here in the great state of florida and at the risk of oversimplifying the history of space exploration began with huge teams of scientists and engineers building massive space vehicles in which the majority effort went into the spacecraft themselves and the vehicles that launched them these early satellites were large heavy expensive to launch with less computing power than the phone you carry today that all changed in 1999 when dr jordy pug suaree and bob twiggs invented the cubesat a satellite with computing power of a personal computer that could fit in the palm of your hand in 2011 dr pogswari co-founded tyvac to focus on commercial applications of nano satellites and in 2013 our company turn orbital acquired tyvek creating the world's most innovative satellite company this satellite became the universally accepted standard for nanosatellites and started the low earth satellite revolution that we're all going through today this actual cubesat will be with the very first that we built we'll be heading to the smithsonian air and space museum in washington dc shortly to be put on permanent display and i invite all of you after to take a selfie with the satellite if you choose today turn orbital is the global leader in satellite solutions we design we engineer we manufacture and we operate satellites for a broad range of customers helping them leverage space for their commercial challenges and national security needs to be fair you've probably never heard of us until today and that's okay we're currently we're currently listed on billions of dollars of us government programs and growing at an incredible rate for us space florida is a perfect place to tell the world who we are and why we're going to continue to dominate the small satellite marketplace the commercially driven space industry continues to grow an incredibly rapid rate which requires us to significantly expand our capabilities i am proud to focus our expansion plans here at space florida's launch and landing facility right over at cape canaveral we will be building the world's most extensive extensive satellite assembly facility phase one alone will be over 660 000 square feet of space we will bring all aspects of satellite creation manufacturing production into one place we will be able to produce over 1 000 satellites a year here and over 1 million satellite components annually all at the single location here we will continue to vertically integrate to in order to control our own destiny we will own our own supply chain and we will continue to add other companies to our portfolio to enhance products that we make for the future this facility will represent one of the most advanced selling manufacturing complexes in the world serving the civil commercial and government needs we will but we will not only build satellites for our customers but we will also start building them for ourselves our first satellite satellite constellation will be called predator it will be the world's most advanced software-defined synthetic aperture radar constellation there'll be a quiz on that later evan notice if you look at google earth or google or google maps you notice you always see the planet on a clear sunny day it's because traditional imaging can't see through the clouds you can't see at night with predestar you'll be able to take images of the earth 24 hours a day seven days a week 365 days a year it's a technological breakthrough which will radically change how we look at our amazing planet and we have a short video here i don't think you can see it if you'll be able to see it we're going to try it to kind of explain what predator [Music] under the cover of darkness oppressors are preparing to launch attacks on military targets and civilian populations across the globe to stop them friendly forces need to detect and react within a matter of hours on a barrier reef an oil tanker crashes and spills millions of barrels of oil into the ecosystem time is critical to prevent the spread and begin cleanup massive wildfires are moving quickly trapping hikers and campers rescuers need the visibility to see through thick layers of smoke to locate those trapped a devastating hurricane makes landfall in the night flooding homes washing away streets and stranding thousands timing is critical and first responders need immediate insights into which areas need help first to save lives in perilous situations where life and valuable resources are on the line the need for real-time data and visibility is critical unfortunately there are no existing solutions to adequately meet these demands physical access to these areas from aircraft is often impossible traditional satellites can take days or weeks to get clear pictures from space limited to daylight and perfect weather when answers are needed quickly there needs to be a different solution that's where predator comes in is deploying the world's largest fleet of radar satellites traveling around the earth closely and quickly in low earth orbit these satellites use a technology called synthetic aperture radar or sar to see anywhere on earth in minutes sar is a technology that uses radar to transmit radio waves to earth and listens for those waves to bounce back predator then uses sar technology to form those waves into pictures videos and 3d models of objects where traditional imaging satellites need the sun's light to capture images predator uses radar to make its own light at any time of day seeing through clouds weather and smoke for decades this technology was almost exclusively used by governments but advances in technologies and more affordable access to space have opened the doors for a wide range of global commercial opportunities with predator we can see anywhere in the world in a matter of minutes no obstructions no delays first responders can pinpoint where help is needed the most insurance companies can assess where large scale damage is most severe and the military can have unparalleled insight into every move the enemy makes day or night neutralized with lives and precious resources on the line the world can no longer afford to [Music] and these satellites are going to be manufactured here at our facility at cape canaveral i want to acknowledge the tremendous support we've received from the state in particular space florida lieutenant governor nunes frank de bello and and their amazing team's assistance in arranging for the facility and equipment financing as well as other economic and workforce aid the launch and landing facility is a historic location at kennedy space center that is becoming a growing hub for commercial space space activity and we are proud to be part of it another reason we chose florida is the incredible business friendly environment that you governor desantis and the legislature have created in this state as well as the local economic development assistance supply chain and especially the skilled workforce that is here in florida for the 2100 employees that we will be hiring we envision a 21st century work environment a workplace unparalleled in technology as well as amenities a place will be a place where people will be excited to go to work every day with employee-centric facilities unlike that has ever been built before we're going to put the same creativity and forward thinking we use to build satellites into creating a new and fantastic kind kind of work environment for our people we are proud to be joining the growing families of companies that are part of the space community here at cape canaveral including our strategic partner lockheed martin we will build not only vehicles that will go into orbit but they will go to the moon they will go to mars into deep space and the stars beyond we will help protect the national interests and advance science to its highest levels we will create a place where if you can dream it we will build it and finally i'd like to thank anthony privett my business partner one of my best friends for over 30 years it was anthony's drive and never ending dedication to make space florida reality tony couldn't be here today he wanted to ensure a long-standing tradition of him doing all the work and me taking all the credit but that's not happening today thank you tony for everything you've done for us [Applause] thank you mark and it sounds only fitting that one of the key leaders in this commercial space renaissance that i talked about a few minutes ago should himself be a renaissance man uh the broad background that the lieutenant governor was referring to among mark's business accomplishments in capital formation he has his own capital companies started a number of companies which have gone public but if that were not enough he's also a successful producer and sponsor of plays musicals and movies and among his credits jersey boys rock of ages the wedding singer augusto sage county and he's a holder of two tony awards so we're proud to have that kind of talent uh in this area and we look forward to what you'll be producing in this area as well uh our next speaker represents the kennedy space center a long-standing partner with the state and attracting and developing a world-leading space industry in florida jennifer coons is an associate director of the kennedy space center responsible for ensuring safe and effective execution of the center's technical capabilities jennifer thank you and good morning and welcome everyone that is a tough act to follow and that was before the tony awards so anyway for 60 years kennedy space center has been the nation's premier launching ground for science technology and exploration and while kennedy's history began serving the government sector our transformation to america's multi-user spaceport has broadened kennedy's ability to partner not just with other government agencies but with commercial industries as well to achieve our vision of a flourishing commercial economy in low earth and lunar orbits taran orbital's planned campus will be near what was originally named the shuttle landing facility a place very dear to a young engineer who grew up in the shuttle program for almost three decades that facility served as florida's landing site for over for space shuttle orbiters returning to earth and in fact 78 of 135 shuttle missions ended at the kennedy space center six years ago that facility was re-christened as the launch and landing facility and this name looks to the future reflecting our spaceport's increased scope of capabilities as well as nasa's commitment to commercial space with our commercial partners kennedy is again launching not just cargo but also united states astronauts on american rockets from the to the international space station and soon we'll be doing that to the moon and beyond accomplishments like this are the reason that we celebrate announcements like the one that we're making today these partnerships are crucial to growth not just for our spaceport but for our entire industry by linking arms with providers such as taran orbital kennedy is able to provide superior service to our spaceport customers and nations space economy on behalf of the center director janet petro i want to thank you for the opportunity to speak today and to mark this really exciting occasion today we're embracing the future we are looking forward to the next 60 years probably will not be here providing reliable resilient and efficient access to space and that is what we need and now i would like to turn it back over to frank develo and thank you for having me with you today we want to acknowledge the partnership that we have both with the kennedy space center as well as the space force here both federal partners and the faa have been tremendous partners in allowing us to not only operate effectively introduce commercial companies into that mix and to ensure that we have a vibrant future as this renaissance that i i refer to continues to take place i also want to acknowledge two other partners that we have in the audience uh our partnership with the florida department of transportation is a stellar one and they have been a reliable ally in almost everything that we've done to advance the and introduce commercial operations into the cape i'd also like to acknowledge the strength of partnership that we have with the economic development commission of florida space coast and lithuanian they have joined us in every major development that we've we've heard we've heard that terran orbital's presence will provide a world-leading vertically integrated manufacturing capability for end-to-end satellite solutions and all of the things that mark described about satellite design production launch planning mission operations uh are all aimed at meeting the needs of the most demanding and rapid response mission capability resilience needs of military civilian and commercial customers several years ago we briefed the space water board on a conscious strategy for by space florida to recruit and build a launch on demand and satellite-on-demand capability here in our state this capability was viewed as an essential component to meet the growing needs by industry and government to ensure rapid replenishment and survivability of critical assets and capabilities in orbit both commercial operators of constellations as well as those managing assets for national security surveillance and operational needs of our war fighters see this capability for rapid deployment and delivery of challenged or lost assets on orbit as essential terran orbital is a key part of that strategy being implemented as we look to the future we note that terran orbital has assembled a team on a board that possesses strong industry and national security pedigree and is already building in florida an employment profile with plans for sustained and trained manufacturing workforce and experience in all of the technical disciplines that we desire to have here and the selection of florida for the company's development and manufacturing operations was the result of a carefully considered business decision and it confirms the commercial and operational advantages of locating future space businesses in florida mark we look forward to terran orbital's success are thrilled to partner with you and we welcome the addition of the company's innovations in the art and science of next generation satellite design development and manufacturing welcome to the community here in florida that concludes our program i want to thank you all for being with us today uh we welcome you to join and mingle with the company's staff i should acknowledge uh the terran orbital uh crowd that's in the audience uh roger i know you're going to play in fact your board is going to play a major role in the development of this company and i appreciate all of you turning out for today so thank you that concludes our program and there will be a press availability now in the area i guess right to my uh to my left to your right thank you all very much [Applause] you

2021-10-03 08:53

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