TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Department of Commerce is creating a new initiative to entice satellite- and space object-manufacturing companies to move to the state.
Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave said the initiatives are meant to take advantage of “the natural synergies that exist in our state,” the Wichita Eagle (https://bit.ly/2lEpS8v ) reported. Soave said the state would be a good location, noting Wichita’s aviation industry and Kansas State University’s Polytechnic campus.
“We have to be looking at next generation activity,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Jim Ward said he would support the state going into the commercial space industry, but he questioned whether Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration would be able to commit necessary resources to the project.
“This kind of sounds like a typical Brownback thing where they throw out a shiny object,” Ward said.
Soave spokeswoman Nicole Randall said the initiative is a marketing campaign and that the Commerce Department isn’t pursuing economic incentives to lure companies to Kansas.
The state would be competing with Florida’s “Space Coast,” a well-established space manufacturing center. SpaceX has made significant investments in Florida facilities, and Airbus is expecting to open a new manufacturing facility there next year.
“I think it’s important that we’re laser-focused,” Soave said. “We sometimes perceive Kansas to be a flyover state. We take exception to that. We consider Kansas to be a destination.”
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Information from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, https://www.kansas.com
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