https://www.kentvalleywa.com Kent Valley Economic Development News Feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 21:22:24 +0000 en-US https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69153/with-another-huge-infusion-of-cash-stoke-space-goes-even-bigger https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69153/with-another-huge-infusion-of-cash-stoke-space-goes-even-bigger Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 ARS TECHNICA - Stoke Space announced Tuesday that it has raised another significant round of funding, $1 billion, as it makes a final push toward its debut launch next year. The Washington-based launch company also revealed plans for a larger medium-lift vehicle.With the Series E funding round, co-led by Point72... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69152/stoke-space-raises-1b-initial-series-e-round https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69152/stoke-space-raises-1b-initial-series-e-round Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PAYLOAD - Stoke Space’s investors keep coming back, and so, eventually, should its rockets.The company announced today that it has closed an initial $1B tranche of a Series E round, bringing the company’s total capital raised to $2.3B.The funds will scale manufacturing, test, launch, and recovery infrastructure as the company... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69151/stoke-space-raises-another-billion-to-rival-spacex-at-reflying-rockets https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69151/stoke-space-raises-another-billion-to-rival-spacex-at-reflying-rockets Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 TECH CRUNCH - The fuel for a fully reusable rocket that can unlock truly low-cost access to space isn’t methane or liquid oxygen. It’s cash, and Stoke Space Technologies is tanking up. The company has now “completed the initial closing” of a $1 billion Series E round intended to help... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69138/footwear-retailer-to-open-in-paul-allens-former-computer-museum-in-sodo https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69138/footwear-retailer-to-open-in-paul-allens-former-computer-museum-in-sodo Tue, 08 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL - Paul Allen's now-defunct Living Computers Museum and Labs in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood is being remade into a fashion-focused retail hub.Developer Martin Otterson, through his Sea Otter Group LLC, has signed Billy Footwear as the building's first new tenant since the museum closed in 2020. The... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69154/blue-origin-to-build-a-game-changer-satellite-before-humans-reach-mars https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69154/blue-origin-to-build-a-game-changer-satellite-before-humans-reach-mars Fri, 04 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 USA TODAY - If NASA wants to send humans to Mars in the years ahead, the space agency will need a reliable way for those astronauts to communicate with Earth.To that end, NASA has tapped Blue Origin to develop the agency's newest spacecraft that could by 2030 be orbiting the... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69150/blue-ring-for-a-red-planet-blue-origin-wins-700m-from-nasa-for-mars-telecommunications-orbiter https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69150/blue-ring-for-a-red-planet-blue-origin-wins-700m-from-nasa-for-mars-telecommunications-orbiter Thu, 03 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GEEKWIRE - Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has won a contract worth up to $700 million to boost NASA’s telecommunications capability in Martian orbit, using a version of the company’s Blue Ring multi-mission space platform.The contract calls on Blue Origin to deliver a high-performance Mars telecommunications orbiter to NASA... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69155/nasa-bets-700-million-on-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-for-mars-missions https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69155/nasa-bets-700-million-on-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-for-mars-missions Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 FORBES - NASA has selected Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin to develop a next-generation communications network for Mars, making a consequential bet on the company’s rapidly developing spacecraft business with a contract worth up to $700 million. The network will provide reliable, high-bandwidth communications and navigation services for NASA missions to... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69139/sharp-doubles-down-on-seattle-area-with-new-office-on-rentons-longacres-campus https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69139/sharp-doubles-down-on-seattle-area-with-new-office-on-rentons-longacres-campus Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL - Office equipment company Sharp Business Systems has moved into a roughly 8,400-square-foot office at Renton's Longacres campus.The company, which held a ribbon-cutting last month, said the new space is about twice as large as its previous office in Bellevue. The expanded footprint underscores Sharp's confidence... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68762/nasa-picks-blue-origin-firefly-l3harris-for-100m-spacecraft-contract https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68762/nasa-picks-blue-origin-firefly-l3harris-for-100m-spacecraft-contract Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 MSN - NASA selected All Points Logistics, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace (FLY) and L3Harris Technologies (LHX) to compete for spacecraft and rocket-hardware processing work under a contract with a combined ceiling of $100 million.The four companies were added through an on-ramp provision in NASA’s Spacecraft Processing Operations Contract. The provision... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68741/satellite-operators-are-in-panic-mode-due-to-a-worsening-launch-crisis https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68741/satellite-operators-are-in-panic-mode-due-to-a-worsening-launch-crisis Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 ARS TECHNICA - This should be a golden era of launch.During the last three years, an average of 270 orbital rockets have launched from Earth, a more than three-fold increase from only a decade ago. By every metric available, the launch industry is crushing it: Prices have never been more... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68739/how-rocket-science-could-save-pacific-raceways https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68739/how-rocket-science-could-save-pacific-raceways Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AUTOWEEK - For nearly three decades, Pacific Raceways President Jason Fiorito has tried to juggle keeping his family-owned racetrack at Kent, Washington, south of Seattle, profitable and sustainable in an environment of urban sprawl, only four months of unreliably ideal weather, and property taxes that pencil out to about $3,500... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68740/stoke-space-is-raising-1-billion-to-fund-flagship-nova-rocket https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68740/stoke-space-is-raising-1-billion-to-fund-flagship-nova-rocket Thu, 13 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BLOOMBERG - Stoke Space Technologies Inc. is raising $1 billion to accelerate development and production of a fully reusable rocket to challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX, people familiar with the matter said.The closely held startup is raising money at a valuation of around $9 billion, excluding the new funds, said the... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68640/blacksky-reports-record-service-revenue-and-international-growth-from-gen3-adoption https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68640/blacksky-reports-record-service-revenue-and-international-growth-from-gen3-adoption Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 VIA SATELLITE - BlackSky reported record service revenue in the second quarter of 2026, driven by adoption of its Gen-3 satellite solutions.The company reported total revenue of $33 million in Q2, up 50% from the prior year. Revenue from space-based intelligence & AI services was $24.5 million during the quarter,... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68639/vulcan-wet-dress-rehearsal-planned https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68639/vulcan-wet-dress-rehearsal-planned Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 UNITED LAUNCH ALLIANCE - United Launch Alliance (ULA) rolled out a Vulcan rocket to Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to undergo an extensive test countdown prior to the inaugural flight from our new launch processing lane dedicated to Amazon.Known as a Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR),... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68596/afrl-adds-117m-to-blue-origins-pointtopoint-cargo-contract https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68596/afrl-adds-117m-to-blue-origins-pointtopoint-cargo-contract Mon, 03 Aug 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PAYLOAD - Blue Origin landed a $11.7M modification to its existing contract with AFRL to study how its launch technologies can be used to complete point-to-point cargo delivery missions for the DoD—bringing the total contract value to ~$13M.The contract is part of the DoD’s expanding efforts to use space for... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68587/blue-origin-continues-rebuilding-lc36-prepares-testing-alternatives-for-new-glenn-second-stage https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68587/blue-origin-continues-rebuilding-lc36-prepares-testing-alternatives-for-new-glenn-second-stage Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 NASA SPACE FLIGHT - Two months after losing a New Glenn rocket to a pad explosion during a static fire test, Blue Origin is racing to return the vehicle to flight before 2026 ends. The company is rebuilding its Florida launch site around an entirely new concept of operations, and... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68404/dod-adds-114b-to-natsec-launch-contracts https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68404/dod-adds-114b-to-natsec-launch-contracts Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PAYLOAD - The DoD upped its ceiling for national security space launches (NSSL) by $11.4B on Friday, more than tripling the pool of NSSL launch contracts from $5.6B to $17B.The companies standing to benefit are the seven launcher providers already selected under the NSSL Phase 3 Lane 1 program:Blue OriginImpulse... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68402/smbc-orders-100-b737-max-aircraft-at-farnborough-airshow-2026 https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68402/smbc-orders-100-b737-max-aircraft-at-farnborough-airshow-2026 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AERO TIME - Japanese-owned leasing firm SMBC Aviation Capital placed an order for 100 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on July 20, 2026, during the 2026 Farnborough International Airshow. This order, which brings SMBC’s MAX-family orderbook to 450 aircraft, includes a mix of 737-10 and 737-8s, with 60 and 40 aircraft... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68401/boeing-sees-demand-for-24m-aviation-professionals-in-20-years https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68401/boeing-sees-demand-for-24m-aviation-professionals-in-20-years Sun, 19 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AERO TIMES - Boeing expects the global commercial aviation industry to require more than 2.4 million new aviation professionals over the next two decades, as airlines expand their fleets while replacing a retiring workforce.The forecast estimates demand for 674,000 pilots as well as 728,000 maintenance technicians and more than a... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68342/new-frontier-aerospace-plans-sales-of-3dprinted-hypersonic-rocket-engine https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68342/new-frontier-aerospace-plans-sales-of-3dprinted-hypersonic-rocket-engine Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AEROSPACE AMERICA (AIAA) - Washington state startup New Frontier Aerospace is moving to install by the end of this year its 3D-printed, hypersonic-capable rocket engine onto a drone to demonstrate and gather data on its performance.The company, headquartered in Kent, plans to offer the relatively compact, liquid natural gas-fueled engine,... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68233/blue-origin-nears-a-big-fundraising-round https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68233/blue-origin-nears-a-big-fundraising-round Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 THE NEW YORK TIMES - Blue Origin, the rocket company that is becoming increasingly key to NASA’s lunar plans, already has a deep-pocketed backer: its founder, Jeff Bezos.But the company is now raising outside capital for the first time — $10 billion at a $130 billion valuation excluding the new... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68205/nasa-and-small-business-administration-partner-on-funding-key-space-technologies https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68205/nasa-and-small-business-administration-partner-on-funding-key-space-technologies Sun, 05 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACENEWS - NASA is partnering with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on an effort to attract capital to invest in companies producing critical space components.NASA and the SBA signed a memorandum of agreement last week on the partnership, leveraging an existing SBA program that supports private investment in small... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68204/amazon-leo-constellation-ready-to-support-initial-service-after-ula-mission https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68204/amazon-leo-constellation-ready-to-support-initial-service-after-ula-mission Thu, 02 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 VIA SATELLITE - The Amazon Leo constellation now has enough satellites in orbit to support “continuous service across initial latitudes,” after a United Launch Alliance (ULA) mission in the early hours of Thursday.ULA launched 29 satellites for Amazon Leo in an Atlas V mission that took off from Cape Canaveral... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68207/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68207/nasa-chief-praises-progress-blue-origin-is-making-after-launch-failure Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0000 ARS TECHNICA - NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said this week that Blue Origin has been putting significant resources into the cleanup of its launch pad since the explosion of its New Glenn rocket there in late May.“Blue Origin’s response to the situation is almost beyond impressive, and that’s not just... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68206/blue-origin-pivots-to-redesigned-launchpad-after-explosion-in-push-to-fly-by-end-of-2026 https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68206/blue-origin-pivots-to-redesigned-launchpad-after-explosion-in-push-to-fly-by-end-of-2026 Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 CNBC - Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the startup is determined to return to flight “by the end of this year” after one of its New Glenn rockets exploded on the launchpad in May.The rocket company won’t be “rebuilding the same pad,” but is using the same site and...