October 6, 2026

Governor's Space Council

The new Governor's Space Council will advise Gov. Bob Ferguson on how to keep Washington competitive in the industry and identify ways the state can improve its standing as a global leader in the space economy. Ferguson signed an executive order creating the council at the Museum of Flight last week, as the DJC then reported.

Members include representatives from the commercial space industry, aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors, higher education institutions, labor and more. The Governor's Space Council members include: Andy Lapsa, Stoke Space; Rob Meyerson, Interlune; Jeff Thornburg, Portal Space Systems; Austin Link, Starfish Space; Colin Doughan, Gravitics; Michael Edmonds, Blue Origin; Lisa Scalpone, Amazon LEO; Cornelia Rosu, SpaceX; Kelly Maloney, Space Northwest; Kent Mayor Dana Ralph; Redmond Mayor Angela Birney; Claudia Kauffman, D-47th District; Alex Ybarra, R-13th District; Brendan Wales, FUSE; Jason Chan, IAM 751; Ray Goforth, SPEEA; Bill Pike, PNNL; Mehran Mesbahi, University of Washington; Washington State University President Betsy Cantwell; Lynn Strickland, Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee; Trevor Devaney, Hi-Rel Laboratories; Scott Keeney, nLIGHT; and Philip Johnston, Starcloud.

Washington is home to more than 90 space companies employing more than 13,000 workers, generating approximately $4.6 billion in annual economic activity and $1.6 billion in annual payroll. Approximately two-thirds of the world's operational satellites are built in Washington. Washington's premiere universities play a critical role in research, development and growing the industry's future workforce.