Patrick Gamble – For 15 years, we were not particularly imaginative and somewhat content having a single Department of Defense military customer dominate launch site activity and revenue creation. That was the aerospace world back then.
All that has changed. The commercial space world has become a whole new working arena for the Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC). The mission, however, is still unambiguous and now more important than ever. And Kodiak is still only one of four satellite launch sites in the U.S. that can fully tap that growing potential.
AAC has scored significant marketing accomplishments through the efforts of a strong executive business team, and we have gained important credibility with leaders in the national and international aerospace industry. The federal government has acknowledged the importance of supporting state spaceports like ours, and with the expected International Traffic in Arms Regulations’ (ITAR) approval, we will be positioned to support the space needs of several U.S. allies as well.
Today, the Alaska aerospace portfolio is becoming more than rockets launching satellites into space. It is unmanned aircraft counting caribou or tracking ice flows in the Arctic. It is processing data downloaded from NASA satellites. It is space-based tracking and mapping. It is the potential to manufacture value-added aerospace products inside our state using Alaskan labor. It is university mathematics, engineering, research and internships at work with our aerospace partners.
In short, AAC is engaged in building revenue generation and jobs. AAC is one of the best investments that Alaska, an aerospace state like no other, can make.
Patrick K. Gamble is the president of the University of Alaska and chairman of the Alaska Aerospace Corporation. He lives in Fairbanks.
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