https://www.kentvalleywa.com Kent Valley Economic Development News Feed Sat, 07 Nov 2026 16:21:50 +0000 en-US https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70228/blue-origin-attempts-end-of-year-return-and-eyes-artemis-iv-selection https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70228/blue-origin-attempts-end-of-year-return-and-eyes-artemis-iv-selection Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 NASA Space Flight - With Blue Origin moving towards a potential return to flight by late 2026, NASA has formally integrated a Blue Moon Mark 2 (Mk2) test article into its revised Artemis III low-Earth orbit (LEO) flight profile. Under the updated plan, the vehicle will launch to LEO to... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70224/bezos-blue-origin-is-growing-with-new-facility-in-des-moines https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70224/bezos-blue-origin-is-growing-with-new-facility-in-des-moines Thu, 29 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL - Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin is expanding in Washington with a new, 250,000-square-foot facility in Des Moines.The space will include a mix of lab, development and light production, the company said Wednesday. Once operating at full capacity, it will support hundreds of employees.…Note:  Blue... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70227/united-launch-alliance-announces-midnovember-return-to-flight-for-vulcan-rocket https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70227/united-launch-alliance-announces-midnovember-return-to-flight-for-vulcan-rocket Wed, 28 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACEFLIGHT NOW - United Launch Alliance said its fledgling Vulcan rocket would return to flight Friday, November 13, after a nine-month grounding due problems with its solid rocket boosters.This mission, carrying 40 satellites for Amazon’s Leo internet service, will be the fifth flight of Vulcan since it debuted in 2024... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70155/boeing-q3-2026-results-record-backlog-7377-and-73710-certified-loss-narrows https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70155/boeing-q3-2026-results-record-backlog-7377-and-73710-certified-loss-narrows Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AEROTIME - Boeing closed the third quarter of 2026 with a record backlog, two newly certified 737 MAX variants and a major new fighter contract, but remained slightly in the red, according to financial results published on October 27, 2026.Boeing’s revenue for the quarter rose 4% year-on-year to $24.2 billion,... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70226/cowboy-space-details-big-iron-launcher-plans https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70226/cowboy-space-details-big-iron-launcher-plans Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 AVIATION WEEK - Cowboy Space has started to provide details around the launcher that it plans to loft before the end of 2028.The rocket it calls “Big Iron” is slated to be 86 m (282 ft.) tall and 4.7 m in diameter, the company said on social media. The first... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70225/blue-origin-to-open-cuttingedge-des-moines-manufacturing-project https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70225/blue-origin-to-open-cuttingedge-des-moines-manufacturing-project Tue, 27 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 KING 5 - Blue Origin will make Des Moines the site of a new manufacturing facility, the company confirmed exclusively with KING 5.The private space technology company's expansion in King County will include a mix of lab, development, and light production, Blue Origin said, adding that, at full capacity, the... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70153/stoke-space-lines-up-150m-pentagon-loan-for-a-second-launch-pad-in-florida https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70153/stoke-space-lines-up-150m-pentagon-loan-for-a-second-launch-pad-in-florida Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GEEKWIRE - Kent, Wash.-based Stoke Space has secured a conditional commitment for a $150 million loan from the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital to build a second launch pad at Cape Canaveral for a larger version of its fully reusable rocket.The loan isn’t final until Stoke meets a... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70154/cowboy-space-reveals-big-iron-data-center-rocket https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70154/cowboy-space-reveals-big-iron-data-center-rocket Mon, 26 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PAYLOAD - This town ain’t big enough for just one launch provider.On Monday evening, Cowboy Space pulled back the curtain on Big Iron—a launch vehicle whose upper stage is designed to remain in orbit as a megawatt-class data center.“What we want to do is put a lot of available power... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70133/blacksky-wins-expanded-sevenfigure-gen3-assured-contract-with-international-defense-partner https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70133/blacksky-wins-expanded-sevenfigure-gen3-assured-contract-with-international-defense-partner Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BUSINESS WIRE - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) won an expanded seven-figure Gen-3 Assured contract with an international defense partner. Demand for BlackSky’s premier real-time intelligence service in one of the world’s most demanding and contested regions drove a rapid twofold increase in the customer’s subscription in less than six... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70134/these-are-was-fastestgrowing-private-companies https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70134/these-are-was-fastestgrowing-private-companies Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PUGET SOUND BUSINESS JOURNAL - This year's rankings of Washington's fastest-growing private companies included 121 businesses that cumulatively grew revenue by 15.2% from 2023 to 2025.The No. 1 ranked company, Kent-based BLS⁠, reported a growth rate of 863.48%.BLS was followed by Sumner-based Portofino Foods⁠ and auditor Advantage Partners in Seattle,... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70152/continuous-composites-to-open-seattlearea-engineering-facility-in-kent-washington https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70152/continuous-composites-to-open-seattlearea-engineering-facility-in-kent-washington Mon, 19 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PR NEWSWIRE - Continuous Composites Inc., a leader in advanced composite manufacturing technology, today announce it is opening an engineering facility in Kent, Washington. The approximately 5,600-square-foot facility will support the continued development of the company's patented Continuous Fiber 3D Printing (CF3D®) technology and expand its ability to collaborate with... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70014/blue-origin-is-going-all-in-on-the-new-glenn-rocket https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70014/blue-origin-is-going-all-in-on-the-new-glenn-rocket Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 ARS TECHNICA - Blue Origin announced a major expansion of its already considerable Florida launch facilities on Friday morning with the intent of eventually flying more than 100 rockets a year from there.The company said it would add two launch pads for the New Glenn rocket, in addition to two... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70018/blue-origin-outlines-new-glenn-launch-infrastructure-upgrades https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70018/blue-origin-outlines-new-glenn-launch-infrastructure-upgrades Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACE NEWS - Blue Origin plans to build additional launch pads and landing platform ships as part of investments needed to enable a much higher cadence of New Glenn launches from Florida.…Note:  Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent.Click here to read the full article (paywall) https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70024/building-the-infrastructure-for-more-frequent-launches-in-florida https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70024/building-the-infrastructure-for-more-frequent-launches-in-florida Fri, 16 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BLUE ORIGIN - Launching at a high cadence requires a connected system - one that manufactures vehicles at scale, prepares customer payloads efficiently, supports reliable launch operations, and quickly returns reusable boosters to service. We are building that system here in Florida.Blue Origin has invested more than $3 billion in... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70017/aerospace-and-defense-tenants-take-788000-sqft-as-space-economy-fills-puget-sound-industrial-space https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70017/aerospace-and-defense-tenants-take-788000-sqft-as-space-economy-fills-puget-sound-industrial-space Thu, 15 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 THE REGISTRY - Shield AI, Cowboy Space and an unnamed aerospace company together committed to roughly 788,000 square feet of Puget Sound industrial space in the third quarter, giving landlords a source of demand that is not tied to the logistics cycle at a time when the region's big warehouses... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70156/jeff-bezos-says-blue-origin-will-likely-pursue-an-ipo-within-several-years https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70156/jeff-bezos-says-blue-origin-will-likely-pursue-an-ipo-within-several-years Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 QUARTZ - Billionaire founder Jeff Bezos said Wednesday that Blue Origin is likely to pursue an initial public offering within several years, offering his clearest indication yet that the space company could seek a stock market listing."I think, someday, Blue Origin will have an IPO," Bezos said on Fox News... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70160/department-of-war-expands-laser-power-beaming-at-shaw-afb https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/70160/department-of-war-expands-laser-power-beaming-at-shaw-afb Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GOVLY - On October 8, 2026, the Department of War’s Operational Energy–Innovation Directorate made a follow-on award to PowerLight Technologies to advance Aerial ReCharge, a laser-based system designed to recharge unmanned aircraft in flight. Field development and testing are underway at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina using a... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69929/blacksky-wins-sixfigure-gen3-ondemand-pilot-contract-with-new-international-intelligence-customer https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69929/blacksky-wins-sixfigure-gen3-ondemand-pilot-contract-with-new-international-intelligence-customer Thu, 08 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 BLACKSKY - BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) won a six-figure Gen-3 On-Demand pilot imagery services contract with a new international intelligence customer, expanding the company’s operational footprint with a major sovereign partner in a critical strategic region.“The rapid adoption of our advanced Gen-3 capabilities underscores a fundamental shift in how... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69869/blue-origin-unveils-huge-power-tower-to-boost-solar-electricity-on-the-moon-video https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69869/blue-origin-unveils-huge-power-tower-to-boost-solar-electricity-on-the-moon-video Sun, 04 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACE.COM - “Our Power Tower is a 20-meter-tall, vertically deployed solar array system designed to provide more than 10 kilowatts of power for Moon Base operations at the lunar south pole.”Blue Origin just unveiled its "Power Tower," which is designed to provide solar electricity for an upcoming base on the... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69870/former-nasa-science-leader-joins-blue-origin https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69870/former-nasa-science-leader-joins-blue-origin Sun, 04 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACE NEWS - A former NASA associate administrator for science is joining Blue Origin to lead the company’s advanced technology work.…Note:  Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent.Click here to read the full article. https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69855/the-first-mission-milestones-onboard-spacexs-transporter18-rideshare-launch https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69855/the-first-mission-milestones-onboard-spacexs-transporter18-rideshare-launch Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 VIA SATELLITE - SpaceX launched 130 payloads on an Oct. 1 dedicated rideshare mission, including milestone first missions for a number of its customers.Transporter-18 is part of an attempt to launch three missions in one day. It began with the Crew-13 Falcon 9 astronaut launch for NASA from Florida at... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69856/transporter18-tests-the-building-blocks-of-orbital-data-centers https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69856/transporter18-tests-the-building-blocks-of-orbital-data-centers Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 PAYLOAD - Few rideshares come with a theme, but SpaceX’s Transporter-18—which launched Thursday from Vandenberg—had one: getting power to compute in orbit.Three of its payloads are each testing a different piece of the ODC puzzle.Cowboy Space’s Reason-1 will attempt to beam solar power to Earth via laser—a test run for... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69854/blue-origin-seeking-to-increase-new-glenn-launch-cadence-at-cape-canaveral https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69854/blue-origin-seeking-to-increase-new-glenn-launch-cadence-at-cape-canaveral Wed, 30 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 SPACE NEWS - As Blue Origin continues to recover from a New Glenn pad explosion in May, the company is seeking permission to significantly increase the vehicle’s launch rate.…Note:  Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent.Click here to read the full article. https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69823/fresh-figures-suggest-washingtons-space-industry-has-doubled-its-economic-impact-again https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69823/fresh-figures-suggest-washingtons-space-industry-has-doubled-its-economic-impact-again Tue, 29 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 GEEKWIRE - The preliminary results of a study commissioned by Space Northwest, an association focused on regional space ventures, suggest that Washington state’s space economy contributes $8.1 billion in direct economic output annually.The newly reported figures show that the space industry’s economic impact in the Evergreen State has nearly doubled... https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69809/as-gov-ferguson-kicks-off-seattle-space-week-kent-pitches-powerrich-300000-sqft-manufacturing-campus-to-space-firms https://www.kentvalleywa.com/news-and-resources/recent-news/p/item/69809/as-gov-ferguson-kicks-off-seattle-space-week-kent-pitches-powerrich-300000-sqft-manufacturing-campus-to-space-firms Mon, 28 Sep 2026 07:00:00 +0000 THE REGISTRY - As Gov. Bob Ferguson opens Seattle Space Week, Kent is positioning itself as the place where Washington's space and deep-tech companies move from prototype to production, with Actuate Ventures building out its Ignition Point Labs hub and Mortenson Development marketing a 9.3-acre, 20-megawatt campus that could deliver...