https://www.kentvalleywa.com Kent Valley Economic Development News Feed Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:44:44 +0000 en-US 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/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/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/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... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68208/blue-origin-says-it-will-launch-a-new-glenn-rocket-this-year https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/68208/blue-origin-says-it-will-launch-a-new-glenn-rocket-this-year Wed, 17 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BLOOMBERG - Blue Origin is already rebuilding the Florida launch site where its New Glenn rocket exploded last month, making way for the space company to fly again this year and rejuvenate its ambitions to challenge SpaceX.Some of the launch infrastructure, including propellant tanks and a booster in the integration... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67913/stoke-space-completes-nova-stage-1-structural-verification https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67913/stoke-space-completes-nova-stage-1-structural-verification Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 NASA SPACE FLIGHT - Stoke Space completed proto-qualification of the first stage of its Nova rocket at its testing site in Moses Lake, Washington, in early June 2026. This milestone paves the way for the debut of the medium-lift Nova vehicle targeted for the end of 2026 from the historic... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67820/space-northwest-teams-up-with-commercial-space-federation-on-business-accelerator-program https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67820/space-northwest-teams-up-with-commercial-space-federation-on-business-accelerator-program Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GEEKWIRE - Space Northwest, a nonprofit association serving the Pacific Northwest’s space industry ecosystem, says it’s partnering with the Commercial Space Federation to launch a regional space business accelerator.The initiative will begin with an executive roundtable scheduled this summer, followed by a 12-week accelerator program due to begin in autumn... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67813/faa-approves-boeings-next-max-production-increase-ceo-ortberg-says https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67813/faa-approves-boeings-next-max-production-increase-ceo-ortberg-says Wed, 27 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 THE SEATTLE TIMES - Boeing has hit another regulatory milestone in its effort to increase MAX production, paving the way to build 47 planes per month this summer, CEO Kelly Ortberg said Wednesday.Boeing recently completed its “capstone review” with the Federal Aviation Administration for the next rate increase, Ortberg said,... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67809/boeing-ceo-says-200jet-china-deal-an-initial-tranche-with-more-to-come https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67809/boeing-ceo-says-200jet-china-deal-an-initial-tranche-with-more-to-come Wed, 27 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 REUTERS - China's commitment to buy 200 Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab jets during a recent visit by U.S. President Donald Trump will ‌be firmed up later this year and is only an "initial tranche" of a potentially far bigger deal, the planemaker's CEO Kelly Ortberg said.Investors had expressed disappointment... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67812/nasa-provides-update-on-moon-base-rovers-landers-missions https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67812/nasa-provides-update-on-moon-base-rovers-landers-missions Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 NASA - During a Moon Base event Tuesday at NASA’s Headquarters in Washington, the agency announced new contracts for lunar rovers for crew to drive and uncrewed cargo landers bound for the Moon. NASA leaders also shared target launch timeframes and upcoming milestones for the first Moon Base infrastructure and... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67808/nasa-taps-bezos-blue-origin-firefly-for-moon-base-contracts https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67808/nasa-taps-bezos-blue-origin-firefly-for-moon-base-contracts Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BLOOMBERG - NASA picked Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace and other space firms to send robotic landers, rovers and even drones to the moon as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to jumpstart a lunar base before the end of the decade.The US space agency awarded Lunar Outpost and... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67806/at-tech-alliance-annual-luncheon-a-stark-analysis-and-a-call-to-action https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/67806/at-tech-alliance-annual-luncheon-a-stark-analysis-and-a-call-to-action Wed, 20 May 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GEEKWIRE - It’s a complicated moment in Washington, our home state, where the tech giants are strong, the satellites are abundant, and economic growth may no longer be above average.That was the feeling walking out of the Technology Alliance’s annual State of Technology luncheon Tuesday, where a deep dive on...