Lt. Gov. Barbara O'Brien today toured the recently opened non-profit eSpace Center for Space Entrepreneurship in Louisville. The center, designed to help small aerospace entrepreneurs develop products and share information, is a partnership between the University of Colorado and SpaceDev, an incubator for aerospace companies and workforce development.
The center opened with funding from the Department of Labor, Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the University of Colorado at Boulder and Air Force Research Lab in Albuquerque, NM.
"The eSpace Center model is an innovative approach to keeping our aerospace industry growing and healthy," said Lt. Gov. O'Brien. "It not only gives small companies an opportunity to test and develop their products, but it allows aerospace students to get real world experience while they are learning," she added.
Colorado has the second largest aerospace industry in the country and Gov. Ritter has identified it as one of the four key sectors for Colorado. Seven prime aerospace contractors and 300 smaller aerospace companies are located in the state. More than 26,000 private-sector aerospace employees and more than 171,000 jobs are associated with aerospace.
Lt. Gov. O'Brien serves as a co-chair of the Colorado Space Coalition, a collaboration of research centers, aerospace companies, military leaders, academic organizations, economic development groups and government to promote Colorado's aerospace industry.
Photo Caption Description:
Lt. Gov. O'Brien is pictured with SpaceDev founder Scott Tibbitts (left) and Aerospace Department Chair at CU Boulder Jeff Forbes (right).
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