Senate enacts Sen. Daughtry bill to support emerging aerospace industry in Maine

AUGUSTA – On Monday, April 11, the Senate enacted a bill from Sen. Mattie Daughtry, D-Brunswick, to support Maine’s emerging aerospace industry. The bill, LD 1923, “An Act To Establish the Maine Space Corporation,” received bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House.

“This bill has the potential to grow Maine’s economy, enhance existing businesses, and create new enterprises by launching Maine into the aerospace industry. The Maine Space Complex has the power to enable research, entrepreneurship, innovation and development in Maine,” said Sen. Daughtry. “This bill is a vision of how Maine can coordinate our efforts through a public-private partnership to facilitate responsible investments and strategic development. In addition, Maine can step into this emerging industry and act as a leader in the new space economy.”

As amended, LD 1923 would create a public-private partnership to facilitate the growth of space and aerospace industries in Maine referred to as the Maine Space Complex. The Maine Space Complex would serve as a central hub for Maine’s space industry, facilitate data storage and analysis, research and development, and grow and promote jobs in Maine. Maine is poised to become a leader in small launches because of its geographic location, strong STEM programs at universities, history of manufacturing and existing military-grade infrastructure such as the former Loring Airforce Base and Brunswick Landing.

“While it may sound far off, the space and aerospace economy presents a tremendous opportunity for Maine’s citizens, companies and communities,” said Prof. Ali Abedi, representing the University of Maine System when testifying in favor of LD 1923. “Increasingly, UMaine has become highly competitive in attracting federal investment, especially from NASA, to advance space knowledge and discovery, and grow our state’s STEM workforce and aerospace industry. In the past five years alone, NASA has awarded $11.6 million to UMaine faculty research.”

“To be clear, the Maine Space Complex is not about only launching small satellites on small rockets,” said Dr. Terry Shehata, representing the Maine Space Grant Consortium when testifying in support of LD 1923. “It is about engaging students, researchers, businesses, state and local governments, and communities across the three segments of the new space economy value chain and the underlying infrastructure needed to support these segments.”

“LD 1923 helps support Governor Mills’ 10-Year Strategic Plan with the goal of adding 75,000 new people to the workforce,” said Ben Lucas, on behalf of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce testifying in support of LD 1923. “The establishment of the Maine Space Data and Advanced Analytics Center of Excellence and the Maine New Space Innovation Hub will attract people to come work in Maine. K-12 education in Maine will also play a critical role to promote STEM education to help meet the demands this new industry will have for jobs.”

LD 1923 would support pre-existing businesses such as VALT Enterprises and bluShift. VALT Enterprises is a Maine business focused on the development of nanosatellites, and bluShift is an aerospace company that develops bio-derived fuels to launch small satellites into space. By creating the Maine Space Corporation, the state will be able to help facilitate relationships between companies like bluShift and VALT and attract new business here in Maine. The Maine Space Corporation, as outlined in LD 1923, will serve as a centralizing hub for innovation and economic development in the aerospace and space industry in Maine.

LD 1923 now goes to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has 10 days to either sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.

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