[Satellite TODAY 07-09-13] Placing Oklahoma on the map as a potential satellite launch venue is not an easy task, according to Oklahoma’s Secretary of Science and Technology, Stephen McKeever.

   “Perception is one of the biggest challenges. Oklahoma always been overlooked in the past. We’ve always been a flyover state and we want to be a fly-to state,” McKeever said.

    Oklahoma’s first female governor, Mary Fallin, has hit the ground running with an aggressive aerospace campaign to let the world know “Oklahoma is open for business,” McKeever said, noting that there are key opportunities available for the satellite industry.

   In 2011, Fallin created the Governor’s Unmanned Aerial
Systems Council, including representatives from the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry, state
 government and academia. And last month both McKeever and Fallin traveled to the Paris Airshow to lead a delegation of aerospace executives and state officials to convey that very message.

      “The Paris Air Show and other events like it give the state of Oklahoma the chance to showcase our unique assets to a broad international audience of high-level aerospace executives,” Fallin said during an exclusive interview with SatelliteTODAY.com. “We believe this exposure ultimately leads to job creation and increased investment,” she added.

    Both McKeever and Fallin said it is not only important to attract business to Oklahoma, but it is also equally important to have an available skilled work force. “Students need to be educated about the aerospace careers that are available to them, and about how satisfying and rewarding they are financially,” McKeever said.

   McKeever also noted that lack of information about aerospace educational opportunities is a global problem. “It’s not an Oklahoma problem, it’s a national problem. We don’t tell students these are the careers available and you need to do x, y and z in your studies to get there,” McKever said and added that Oklahoma is committed to changing this.

    “We wont wait for the federal government to do things for us, that’s not the Oklahoma way. We will take this on ourselves and intend to address this very aggressively to form public-private partnerships to encourage students,” he said.

    Although Oklahoma is best known for its oil and gas sectors, and perhaps as the birthplace of Cessna, it also holds roots in other sectors of the aerospace industry, said McKeever. “It’s been in our genes from the very beginning, we have built a large industry in the defense sector and civilian sectors,” he added.

     Tulsa, Okla. is already home to American Airlines maintenance and repair facilities and Boeing has opened a massive operation in Oklahoma City last year to modernize U.S. Air Force equipment. And now, McKeever said he sees a great potential for the satellite industry in Oklahoma. “I think our first target will be the launch of the small communications satellites. These could be private satellites, or military,” he said.

    McKeever added that the idea is that with suitable vehicles, Oklahoma sites could “manage a fast turn around of four to five flights per day. We’re talking about smaller satellites, that’s the immediate market we are able to make a mark in,” he said.

    McKeever said Oklahoma already has “an educated and trained workforce they can use to grow their businesses,” and can offer a high quality of life with a low cost of living, and low taxes. The state also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S., and state officials believe that Oklahoma will prove to be business-friendly. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, Oklahoma had a 5 percent unemployment rate as of May 2013 – 2.5 percent lower than the national average of 7.5 percent.

    McKeever believes once companies begin to see the advantages of doing business in Oklahoma, benefits will trickle down across the state. “This will bring in quality jobs, and give opportunities to citizens coming out of Oklahoma colleges. Tax revenues will start to flow and this will benefit everybody in the state, regardless of if they are a part of the aerospace industry or not,” he said.

     While McKeever could not discuss ongoing negotiations with satellite or aerospace companies, SpaceX officials said they currently use two U.S. sites for its launches: Cape Canaveral in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. SpaceX is currently shopping for a third venue.

     “SpaceX is in the process of looking for a third [launch location]. We narrowed down sites this year to Texas, Florida, Georgia, and Puerto Rico,” said Christina R, director of SpaceX’s communications, who noted the company has no immediate plans to consider Oklahoma but would not rule out future possibilities of conducting business there.

     Meanwhile, Boeing officials said they were pleased with Oklahoma’s business climate. “Boeing appreciates the competitive business environment created by Oklahoma’s elected officials and supports efforts to position Oklahoma for future growth and technological leadership,” said Chamila Jayaweera with Boeing’s state and local advocacy group.

     “Community and state leaders in Oklahoma have done an excellent job

supporting aerospace companies and working with Boeing across the state to better understand the company’s current and future business requirements,” she added noting that when Boeing shops for a new venue it considers several key factors such as “affordability, proximity to customers, a business friendly environment and talent pool among others,” Jayaweera said.

     According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the U.S. currently has more than a dozen spaceports and launch sites, including the Oklahoma Spaceport located in Western Oklahoma about 100 miles west of Oklahoma City.

     Since the FAA officially licensed the Oklahoma’s Space Industry Develop Authority (OSIDA) in 2006, the site has yet to see any launches, said OSIDA’s Executive Director Bill Khourie during an exclusive interview with SatelliteTODAY.com. While the site has only been used for research and development and hovering maneuvers, Khourie remains optimistic that launches will be scheduled in the future.

     “We also have the only suborbital space flight corridor that’s been approved in the United States that is not within restricted airspace or military operating areas,” Khourie said noting that the site has a 13,500-foot runway.

     He also noted that OSIDI is currently in discussions with a variety of companies but could not reveal which ones. “We really think the future for launches is bright for us,” he said, adding that Oklahoma has “incredible infrastructure already in place.”

     Fallin agreed and said Oklahoma already has a significant aerospace workforce. “There are already close to 500 aerospace companies in our state and more than 143,000 Oklahomans working in aerospace-related jobs, most of which pay significantly more than the average salary. Clearly, this is an important industry for us and one that is ripe for growth and expansion,” Fallin said.

     According to Frank Price with the FAA’s communication team, Oklahoma is not the only state jumping on board. The administration has received interest for additional launch sites in several states including in Colorado and the Sheboygan Spaceport in Wisconsin, he said.