Vandenberg Space Force Base stands ready to welcome new launch providers and expects significant investment as it becomes a spaceport of the future, but two rocket manufacturing representatives urged quicker action from regulators.

The REACH Ideas + Action Summit at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara’s main ballroom on Wednesday attracted 330 people to Goleta for panel discussions that centered on the aerospace industry along with semiconductors, clean energy and a regional approach to government. 

One of the longest sessions centered on the new global space race and its economic potential on the Central Coast.

“This is not an if-we-build-it-they-will-come scenario. They’re here in the room with us today and adding hundreds of jobs to the region,” REACH’s Melissa James said before the space discussion began.

Lower launch costs and a trend toward smaller satellites, instead of giant spacecraft, will contribute to increased activity to deliver both military and commercial payloads into orbit, according to Col. Bryan Titus, Space Launch Delta 30 operations vice commander at Vandenberg.

“You’re going to see a lot more launches,” Titus said. “You’re also going to see more launch service providers. We’re trying to get more companies to come to Vandenberg. What we have on Vandenberg is a ton of land.”

Two launch providers spoke about the need to fix a slow regulatory and permitting process for doing business on the West Coast. 

As SpaceX moves forward to boost its launch rate, Felicia Casciano, SpaceX’s senior manager of launch operations, said “we need our partners and our teammates around us to also move at the same speed of urgency.”

SpaceX has acquired a new production facility expected to be used within the next couple of months and a second launch pad to assist in meeting the increased launch rate, expected to be weekly in 2024, she added.

Relativity Space, which plans to launch its 3-D printed rocket from Vandenberg, said the firm received its right of entry for a launch site in Florida in 2019, and Vandenberg’s eight months later. 

Three years later, they had a rocket on the pad on the East Coast, but at the same point awaited completion of the environmental process for a West Coast operation. 

“It’s not about lowering the bar, it’s about speeding the action,” said Joshua Brost, Relativity Space’s senior vice president of revenue operations. “We all want to have this to be a wonderful place to live and operate, so we all have strong incentives to protect the environment. 

“But we do need to get a process where we can get to decisions and action pretty quickly because otherwise it’s impossible to make an investment,” Brost added.

More launches means a need to ensure the base can support the missions with plans for $500 million investment by the Defense Department each for the Western Range at Vandenberg and Eastern Range in Florida.

This includes ensuring the airfield’s 3-mile-long runway at Vandenberg and its harbor on South Base can easily accommodate arrivals of rocket components and satellites by plane or vessel. The base also needs to make sure roads, water and electricity remain available to support missions.

Vandenberg has looked toward creating resilience through clean energy sources including a 22-megawatt solar farm on base property to provide Vandenberg’s power.

“But at nighttime it doesn’t work so we have to operate off the grid,” Titus said. “By the way, we generate way more power than we need, but we’re not doing anything with it so we’re going to start storing all that power in batteries next year.”

They’re also partnering with Pacific Gas & Electric Company to have a generator that can power the entire base using hydrogen fuel and anticipating an offshore wind energy project with floating turbines also supplying needed electricity.

“Those are the kinds of things that are ongoing right now that we’re actively pursuing. We’re pretty excited about that,” he said. 

Another public-private partnership could create the “mission development zone,” envisioned as offices and payload processing facilities located on Vandenberg land but outside security gates and areas where rockets fly overhead. 

“You shouldn’t be launching over those buildings if you can avoid it, and right now we do,” Titus said. “It would be much better if we could have an area that’s a little bit distant from that.”

Vandenberg would ensure the site has roads, power, water and communication, but will need a private developer to build the facility. 

The commercial space industry has attracted attention in Sacramento with the creation of a task force and implementation of tax credits.

“We’re going to continue doubling down on those investments,” said Kaina Pereira, California Space Industry Task Force lead and GO-Biz senior advisor. “We’re going to continue investing in this community and in these opportunities because one, it is one of the biggest and fastest-growing markets in the United States and the world. 

“Two, it is a significant driver of good jobs and we have the talent to support the industry,” Pereira added.