Guest commentary: Space innovation is the Central Coast’s legacy — and its future
By Melissa James
Here on the Central Coast, we have long looked to the sky and dreamed big.
The Loughead brothers and a 20-year-old Jack Northrop began designing and building aircraft in Santa Barbara in 1916 — barely a dozen years after the Wright brothers’ first flight — launching what would eventually become the aerospace behemoths, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
Cal Poly’s aeronautical engineering program was among the nation’s earliest, dating back nearly 100 years.
It produced the first-ever student-built airplane just a year later and drew a visit from Amelia Earhart in 1935 as she prepared for her solo flight around the world.
The world’s first polar-orbiting satellite launched from Vandenberg in 1959. Apollo-era lunar rovers were developed in Goleta.
And, Cal Poly pioneered the CubeSat mini satellite, which is now used for research across the globe.
These and countless other milestones are part of a century-long legacy of aspiration and innovation that continues today.
Vandenberg, designated a Space Force Base in 2021, is a cornerstone of our nation’s space capabilities and the second most active space launch site in the world.
Companies across the region design technology for NASA missions and commercial spacecraft. Others are forging the future of air travel and drone development.
This is an industry that holds vast opportunity for our region to become a center of gravity in space innovation, global connectivity, and climate resiliency while providing wide paths to job growth and economic mobility for Central Coast residents.
ENHANCING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
While aerospace and precision engineering are far from new to the Central Coast, a new era of unprecedented public and private interest and investment is opening up career opportunities for the region’s residents.
Encompassing everything from space launch and satellite manufacturing to advanced semiconductors and digital systems, this broad sector employs 10,000 people across SLO and Santa Barbara Counties and is projected to add 1,800 jobs in the next three years alone as companies from SpaceX to homegrown startups hire hundreds of new employees.
And not just rocket scientists, but people to fabricate and assemble parts, calibrate machinery and track logistics.
Many of these positions don’t require a four-year degree, offering new avenues into high-quality jobs that pay well above the region’s median wage — significant for a region where nearly half of families struggle to get by.
Among the jobs expected to see the largest gains, for instance, are aircraft mechanics and service technicians, projected to grow 17% by 2027.
Other areas expected to see double-digit growth include general labor, quality control, logistics, HR and software development.
And each new aerospace job spawns an additional one elsewhere in the economy.
With the right mix of early exposure, STEM pathways, technical training and reskilling programs, we can collectively build new futures for people to make a livelihood and a life here.
SOLVING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS
The region’s aerospace and precision technology ecosystem is tackling urgent world problems.
Vandenberg provides unique access to the orbits required to gather critical data for addressing climate change, mitigating natural hazards and improving agricultural efficiency.
The Central Coast is emerging as an international center of global communication and climate diplomacy, as nations collaborate on missions like EarthCARE launched in May, MethaneSAT in March and many others.
Advances in air mobility will make our communities more resilient and connected than ever, as electric air taxis and next-generation drones revolutionize emergency response, wildfire management and medical supply delivery.
Precision technologies developed in our region are creating new ways to enhance sustainability and produce clean energy.
BUILDING AN INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE
The momentum for our region is far-reaching.
Vandenberg garners broad national support as a critical hub for maintaining the nation’s competitive edge in the global space economy. Our universities are attracting coveted research dollars.
Clean rooms are in short supply as regional R&D and manufacturing operations expand.
A range of players has come together to harness this momentum for the benefit of the region’s residents.
School districts, higher education, city and county governments, chambers, state and federal partners and REACH are leaning in: To build an inclusive talent pipeline that provides local residents with good jobs and family-sustaining wages.
To ensure the cutting-edge technology coming out of our universities fuels companies that start and scale here.
To inspire the next generation to look up and dream big.
The sky is no longer the limit.
Melissa James is president and CEO of REACH, a nonprofit coalition working to create high-quality jobs across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties.
REACH, the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and Economic Development Collaborative have collectively been leading the six-county Uplift Central Coast Coalition in developing strategies for equitable job growth and economic mobility under the California Jobs First program since 2022.
