That is the opinion of industry experts whose companies have a presence in the Rocket City that will play important parts in that transition.
“I always tell companies, if you want to grow, if you want to work in space, you need to be in Huntsville,” said Eric Stallmer, executive vice president for government relations at Voyager Technologies. “This is really the epicenter in the U.S. for space companies in innovation, whether you are doing commercial or national security space work.”
Stallmer was among the participants on a panel at the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber on Tuesday that included U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Monrovia. He said aerospace companies in Huntsville will likely see added work with U.S. Space Command headquarters moving here and with projects associated with Golden Dome - a Trump administration effort to create a national missile defense shield that his company is currently working on.
But he said his company’s No. 1 focus is on the transition from the ISS to Commercial Destination LEO (commercial low Earth orbit space stations). Stallmer’s company is currently working on one of those stations, Starlab.
And Voyager isn’t alone.
“In 10 years, I think we’ll have multiple stations,” said Taylor Armentrout, Axiom Space’s vice president of government relations. “It’s our plan at Axiom Space to run multiple stations to provide different needs. We might need a station for a hotel. We might need a station for specific kinds of classified research. We might need a station for university research. We don’t know yet. But we know there is a demand for one or more.”
Nick Case, manager of the partnerships and opportunity development office at Marshall Space Flight Center, said Blue Origin is also developing a space station in addition to its New Glenn rocket to ferry supplies to new destinations in low Earth orbit.
“The opening and identification of new access to LEO will only help us kick off, identify and establish new research, new industry and new types of tourism that maybe we haven’t seen before,” adds Megan Green, director of government relations at Blue Origin.
Case said the shift from the ISS to commercial space stations is not just a shift for NASA.
“It’s a chance to grow a thriving economic base,” he said. “That means a new business model, new international collaborations and new opportunities right here in north Alabama. Our role in partnerships is to connect Marshall’s world class expertise, capabilities and facilities and people with those like the companies represented on the stage.”
According to the center’s strategy lead, Davey Jones, Marshall Space Flight Center currently has more than 400 commercial agreements with aerospace companies — the most of any NASA center. He said Marshall is working to provide technical support and be a catalyst in the shift to the commercialization of lower earth orbit.
Joining Marshall in playing a role in the shift is Huntsville International Airport.
In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration approved Huntsville International Airport as a landing site for the Dream Chaser commercial space vehicle. It made the airport the first commercial airport in the U.S. to receive spaceport designation status.
Strong reintroduced the Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation (SPACEPORT) Act last week. It would provide dedicated federal support to U.S. spaceports, ensuring the nation can meet growing civil, commercial and national security demands for space transportation, his office said.
“I would love to see deorbit vehicles like Dream Chaser land right here in Huntsville International Airport,” he said.
“The landing of Dream Chaser at Huntsville International Airport is part of a vision for community growth that builds upon our history of space, science, and exploration, and this legislation will help us compete for future commercial space economic opportunities,” Huntsville International Airport CEO Butch Roberts said.
Strong said he is working on “targeted actions to provide more technical expertise in government to speed up licensing and permits, better risk sharing framework for investors and adequate appropriations so we can stay on cost and on schedule.”
Competition from China
Help from the federal government is needed, Armentrout said, saying four years is a tight window for companies. The industry leaders said they needed clarity if they are to meet a threat they say is coming from China.
“It is a concern that the Chinese have been able to go after our international partners,” she said. “They have seen our budget. They have seen that NASA is going to de-orbit ISS. They know that timeline.”
Armentrout said China is trying to overtake the market. Stallmer agrees.
“China is working at a much more aggressive schedule than we are,” he said. “Our delays on decision making and awards is only going to exacerbate that. There are 20 countries lined up to do work on the Tiangong station. China is not only an enormous threat onto LEO, but onto the moon and Mars as well.”
Strong said China is “watching and copying everything that we do.”
“Their space station is not only about science,” the congressman said. “It’s about power. If the U.S. steps back, the CCP will step forward. It is not only about beating China. It’s about proving the western led coalition’s public, and private efforts can deliver safe, innovative and cost-effective access to space.”
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