Seattle, Washington: "Satellite City"
Seattle, Washington: "Satellite City"
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Washington State has emerged as a global hub for space industry innovation. The Seattle area leads the world in satellite manufacturing and hosts the top two satellite constellation companies. Local tech giants are integrating cloud computing with satellite networks in support of advanced communications and remote sensing applications. Puget Sound companies are also at the forefront of developing in-space infrastructure and services and advancing commercial, human spaceflight.
The space economy in the Pacific Northwest builds on a rich aerospace tradition, a deep pool of hardware and software engineering talent, and a thriving community of entrepreneurs and investors. It has become an engine of innovation for this new, entrepreneurial space age and a leading player in shaping the future of space exploration and commercialization.
Below is a list of many companies, organizations, events and articles that speak to the rapidly growing space hub around Seattle and in Washington State.
Space Companies
Blue Origin – space vehicles [Kent]
SpaceX Starlink – broadband satellite constellation [Redmond]
Amazon Kuiper - Kuiper broadband satellite constellation [Kirkland]
Aerojet Rocketdyne – rocket engines [Redmond]
ARKA – satellite systems and components [Bothell]
Avalanche - fusion power [Seattle]
BlackSky – satellite-powered geospatial imagery, data and analytics [Seattle]
Boeing – defense, space & security [Tukwila & Kent]
Crane Aerospace & Electronics - electrical power solutions for spacecraft [Lynnwood]
Earth and Space Exploration - spaceflight training [Seattle]
Firefly Aerospace - end-to-end space transportation [Bellevue]
GHKN Engineering - rocket engines [Kirkland]
Gravitics - space station components & modules [Seattle]
gravityLab - artificial gravity lab in orbit [Seattle]
Hemisphere Ventures - space venture capital [Seattle]
Hubble Network - satellite IoT via Bluetooth [Seattle]
Integrate - SaaS to plan and manage space missions and complex machines [Seattle]
Interlune - space natural resources [Seattle]
Janicki Industries – tooling & assemblies [Sedro-Woolley]
Juno Propulsion - rotating detonation engines [Seattle]
JX Crystals - space power beaming [Issaquah]
Kapta Space - spaceborne radar [Seattle]
Karman Space & Defense - Systima – systems and components [Mukilteo]
Kymeta – antennas and connectivity services [Redmond]
LeoStella - satellite manufacturing [Seattle]
LiftPort - lunar space elevator [Tacoma]
Microsoft Azure Orbital - ground station as a service [Redmond]
New Frontier Aerospace - rocket engines
Off Planet Research - extra-terrestrial simulants [Everett]
Orbite - spaceflight training [Seattle]
Planet Enterprises - space mission design & robotics [Gig Harbor]
Portal Space Systems - orbital logistics [Bothell]
Powerlight Technologies - space power beaming [Kent]
Precursor - space weather [Seattle]
Pulse Space - space power as a service [Seattle]
Radian Aerospace - orbital space plane [Renton]
RBC Signals – ground station services [Redmond]
Reach Space Technologies - rocket engines [Seattle]
Rocket Propulsion Systems - rocket engines [Renton]
Sienna Technologies - space materials [Woodinville]
Space Exploration Engineering - mission planning [Seattle]
SpaceRig - space vehicle build & deliver [Seattle]
Space Valves - hardware for space vehicles [Puyallup]
Star Cloud - in-orbit cloud computing [Redmond]
Starfish Space - autonomous space tug [Kent]
Stoke Space Technologies - launch vehicles [Seattle]
The Radiation Team - radiation reliability for space systems [Renton]
Ultra Safe Nuclear – nuclear power & propulsion [Seattle]
US Electrodynamics - satellite teleport [Brewster]
Wave Motion Launch - launch services [Seattle]
Wibotic - wireless charging for lunar robots [Seattle]
Xanfab - space component manufacturing [SeaTac]
Xplore - space data services [Bellevue]
Zeno Power - nuclear batteries [Seattle]
Ad Astra Talent Advisors - recruiting [Camus]
Avaliant – engineering services, including space [Bellevue]
TLG Aerospace - engineering services, including space [Seattle]
Space Organizations
Space Northwest - supporting space industry and entrepreneurship in the Pacific Northwest [Seattle]
Dept of Aeronautics & Astronautics - University of Washington [Seattle]
Space Policy & Research Center - University of Washington [Seattle]
Institute for Space Law, Data & Policy - University of Washington [Seattle]
Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium - expanding STEM with NASA programs [Seattle]
Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation - academic-industry partnerships [Seattle]
Space Entrepreneurs – 1000+ person space networking and affinity group [Puget Sound region]
Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition (PNDC) - defense & security trade group
Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) - aerospace trade group
Aerospace Futures Alliance (AFA) - aerospace advocacy group
Washington State Department of Commerce - economic development
Space Apps Seattle - space apps hackathon in the city that unites tech and space [Seattle]
Museum of Flight - [Seattle & Everett, WA]
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory - fundamental research and policy analysis [Richland, WA]
Blue Marble Space Institute of Science - interdisciplinary research [Seattle]
Seattle Space Gals - empowering women & gender minorities in aerospace
Northwest Research Associates - space science research [Seattle]
Pacific Northwest AIAA - aero/astro professional society [Seattle]
The Atlantis Project - tethered ring for space access [Seattle]
Leviathan Explorations - Venus aerobot [Seattle]
HuskySat - UW students building a CubeSat [Seattle]
Society for Advanced Rocket Propulsion - UW student-run rocket club [Seattle]
Space United Seattle - soccer and space enthusiasts [Seattle]
AstroPlane - astronavigation system to supplement GPS [Seattle]
Washington State Space Facts
NASA contract awards to companies and organizations in Washington State totaled more than $1.8 billion during fiscal year 2020-2024.
Washington State space startups have raised more then $1.5 billion.
SpaceX & Amazon have each committed more than $10 billion to their broadband internet constellations designed and manufactured in Washington State.
Blue Origin's programs include suborbital space tourism, an orbital rocket, a lunar lander, a space mobility platform, and a private space station.
More than half of all operational satellites in Earth orbit have been manufactured in the greater Seattle area.
Seattle-area space companies cover the entire end-to-end space and satellite value chain.
Upcoming Events
International Space Station R&D Conference 2025 - July 28-31, 2025 [Seattle]
Space Happy Hour - ongoing [greater Seattle area, plus other global locations]
Recent Events
2025 Flight Software Workshop - March 24-27, 2025 [Seattle]
Space Tech Panel & Networking - February 25, 2025 [Redmond]
Mars Love Affair - February 14, 2025 [Museum of Flight]
PNAA Advance 2025, - February 3-5, 2025 [Lynnwood]
Building Humanity's Next Leap Forward - January 13, 2025 [Museum of Flight]
PNDC Space Supply Chain Conference - December 5, 2004 [Seattle]
UW Space Diplomacy Symposium - October 25, 2024 [UW, Seattle]
Startup 425 Space Tech & Innovation Panels - October 21, 2024 [Redmond]
NASA Space Apps Seattle - October 4-6, 2024 [Seattle]
2024 Mars Society Convention - August 8-11, 2024 [Seattle/UW]
Seattle Space Week - June 8-13, 2024 [multiple events, greater Seattle area]
Articles & Information
Stoke Space and Rocket Lab join Space Force’s national security launch program - GeeWire - March 28, 2025
Gravitics wins support from Space Force to create an orbital carrier for space vehicles - GeekWire - March 26, 2025
Portal Space Systems opens its doors for a sneak preview of solar propulsion system - GeekWire March 17, 2025
Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lunar lander is on deck to deliver NASA payload to the moon - GeekWire - March 11, 2025
Amazon Web Services focuses on optimizing artificial intelligence in space - February 26, 2025
Lumen Orbit changes its name to Starcloud and raises $10M for space data centers - February 26, 2025
Blue Origin puts a lunar spin on suborbital research - GeekWire - February 4, 2025
Amazon ships Project Kuiper satellites to Florida for launch - GeekWire - January 24, 2025
Seattle-area firm launches program to back new space ventures - GeekWire - January 17, 2025
Stoke Space brings in $260M for further development of its fully reusable rocket - GeekWire - January 15, 2025
Lumen Orbit [now Star Cloud] raises $11M for data center in space - GeekWire - December 11, 2024
Astronaut training startup raises $4M to market way-out experiences - GeekWire - December 5, 2024
Starfish Space raises $29M to develop orbital servicing vehicles - GeekWire - November 13, 2024
Starfish Space wins contract to help NRO advance capabilities for orbital operations - GeekWire - October 30, 2024
Washington Space Industry Thrives - Seattle Times - September 6, 2024
Gravitics wins $125M contract for commercial space station hardware - GeekWire - July 9, 2024
Blue Origin, Stoke Space selected by U.S. Space Force to bid for small satellite launches - SpaceNews - July 3, 2024
VIPs cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Amazon’s Project Kuiper satellite factory - Geekwire - June 27, 2024
Starfish Space signs contract with Intelsat for satellite servicing beginning in 2026 - Geekwire - June 26, 2024
Seattle Space Week: Find out how artificial intelligence is taking over the final frontier - Geekwire - June 12, 2024
Starfish Space lands $37.5 million Space Force contract for on-orbit servicing vehicle - SpaceNews - May 20, 2024
This SpaceX Veteran's 'Tony Stark' Technology Aims to Tackle the Space Junk Problem - Inc. - May 6, 2024
Three Pacific Northwest space companies win awards from Space Force venture fund - Geekwire - January 17, 2024
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