eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a non-profit business incubator and workforce development organization for aerospace companies, announced that it is seeking a second round of aerospace entrepreneurs to participate in the eSpace incubator. The move reflects the industry’s demand for eSpace services as well as the success of the incubator model created by eSpace and its potential for replication to cultivate space entrepreneurs in other regions of the country.

By opening its first center in Colorado, eSpace has placed itself in the middle of the nation’s second largest aerospace economy. The demand for eSpace and space entrepreneurs in Colorado is highlighted by the following statistics, furnished by the Colorado Space Coalition:

• 176,930 – number of people employed in Colorado in space-related jobs
• 25.7 – percent growth in private aerospace employment in Colorado, from 2003-2008 (compared to 11.5 percent nationally)
• 130+ – number of aerospace companies operated in Colorado during 2008 (half of these companies employ fewer than 10 people)
• 9.2 – approximate percent increase in number of aerospace companies in Colorado from 2003-2008 (compared to approximately one percent nationally)
• 7 – number of major aerospace contractors that have significant presence in Colorado (Ball, Boeing, ITT Corp., Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, United Launch Alliance)

“The statistics speak volumes about the opportunities in aerospace,” said Scott Tibbitts, executive director for eSpace. “Larger aerospace companies are coming to eSpace, actively seeking out innovations and technologies being cultivated by new, smaller companies that are participating in the eSpace incubator. That success demonstrates the viability of the eSpace model, so we’re expanding the program to include more participants in Colorado and working to develop a program that can be replicated in other regions in the U.S.”

Successful Launch Leads to Expansion

eSpace is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating new entrepreneurial space companies, commercializing aerospace technologies created within these companies and developing the aerospace workforce to support them. The organization is once again actively seeking space entrepreneur candidates regardless of company size, maturity and technology sector; however, candidates for this second round must be Colorado-based companies.

The first three companies selected to participate in the eSpace incubator were chosen from a wide-ranging applicant pool of more than 30 companies. The selected organizations typically receive $20,000 or more in seed grant funding and enjoy access to a broad range of eSpace resources, including physical space, access to successful entrepreneurs as mentors, access to investment capital, and access to aerospace infrastructure, manufacturing facilities and relationships. eSpace also helps incubated companies with operational basics such as website development and government accounting systems.

For the first three eSpace incubator participants, the benefits of working with eSpace have included:

• Zybek Advanced Products, Inc., has established a business model for its “lunar simulant,” or synthetic moon rock. Zybek is thinking strategically about its lunar simulant, derivative technologies, and talking to potential customers who were introduced by eSpace. Exciting terrestrial applications for the technology are being developed for diverse areas such as ground water remediation and lithium ion battery performance.
• Space Awareness Services has quickly connected with potential partners and investors, opening up paths to both business and investment. “eSpace introduced us to very senior people at some of the larger aerospace companies, and those connections helped us avoid a lot of the bureaucratic roadblocks that can impede progress at lower levels,” said Chris Franz, vice president of Space Awareness Services.
• Net-Centric Design Professionals designs and develops complex computer networks used for command, control and communications between spacecraft and end-user organizations on Earth and is expanding its base of customers, partners and business opportunities to move beyond government programs to pursue commercial projects. Such prospects include working with eSpace and the University of Colorado to present NASA with a proposal for making the Internet accessible from lunar outposts.

Tibbitts said, “The aerospace industry faces a critical workforce issue over the next 10 years as aerospace veterans of Apollo and Shuttle retire. It is a telling fact that in the 60’s the average aerospace engineer age was in the mid-twenties. Now it is the early 50’s. Many students in engineering want to work in dynamic, entrepreneurial environments, and they don’t perceive traditional aerospace in this light. We are showing them that space can be entrepreneurial and exciting. Our participants are paving the way to that future, helping to develop the next generation of aerospace companies and their workforce.”

To support the Army in validating and prioritizing the requirements for current and future capabilities, Alion Science and Technology, an employee-owned technology solutions company, has been awarded a $1.8 million task order under a contract to support the Department of Army Capabilities Integration, Prioritization & Analysis Directorate.

This task order provides the support services and subject matter experts necessary to enable the Army to make short-, mid-range and long-term decisions that impact the funding, development and fielding of capabilities to the Warfighter. This work includes analysis, reviews, recommendations, tools and training in support of the Army Experimentation Program, the Army’s Five Year Test Program, the Army Studies Program, the Army Advance Technology Objective Process and related initiatives.

“Alion has a demonstrated history of providing technical and professional services to support the Warfighter,” said Timer Keenan, Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the Strategic Operations Group. “Alion’s subject matter experts will support the validation, prioritization, analysis and integration of combat requirements and systems life cycles to help to provide the current and future Army with timely and decisive war fighting capabilities as part of the national military strategy.”

The national military strategy serves as the Armed Forces’ plan to achieve military objectives in the near term and is intended to provide the vision to ensure that they remain decisive in the future. The Army Capabilities Integration, Prioritization & Analysis Directorate reviews and analyzes key Warfighter needs. The new task order runs through July 31, 2010, under a three-year contract that is in effect through July 31, 2013.

Nextant Aerospace announced lowered entry level pricing for the 400NEXT Beechjet 400A/XP modernization. The new price of $3.9 Million is a $1.0 Million reduction from the previous published price.

“The dramatic reduction in the value of a pre-owned aircraft over the past 12 months has allowed us to reevaluate the pricing for the base model 400NEXT. It is unfortunate that lower aircraft values have negatively affected so many but Nextant is fortunate to be able to turn that into a positive offering to our customers,” said Kenn Ricci, CEO of Nextant Aerospace.

The Nextant Aerospace 400NEXT was designed to overcome significant limitations to the popular Hawker Beechjet 400A/400XP. By replacing the existing out dated Pratt & Whitney JT15D engines with the new modern fuel efficient Williams International FJ44-3AP computer controlled engines and incorporating the new Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21™ avionics suite, the range of the 400NEXT will be increased from 1333 nautical miles to over 2000 nautical miles (4 passenger, NBAA IFR range). In addition to a 30% reduction in operating costs based on fuel savings alone.