Currently supporting over 250,000 jobs, California's high-tech public and private space enterprise community is spread throughout every county in the state. According to the Plan, California has captured $20 billion, or 24% of a current worldwide space market valued at $83 billion. The Plan anticipates a global space market of $130 billion by 2006, a growth rate of over 50% in three years.

CSA has identified over 1,500 companies with space activities in the state and major space assets including three NASA facilities, numerous space-related military bases and space product manufacturing and operations sites, as well as a network of world-class universities. Californians' everyday lives are supported by space activities and technologies in a myriad of ways, many of which are identified in the Plan.

The strong statewide space enterprise represented by this Plan will create even more high-paying jobs in California, attract and retain talent that catalyzes growth, inspire our youth, attract and retain space business, enhance the many benefits Californians enjoy as a result of space activities and solidify space as California's competitive frontier.

"This unique public/private cooperative planning process, facilitated by CSA, brought together nearly 300 space enterprise stakeholders from all domains and sectors, to strategize the future of California's leadership role in this fast growing, high-value market," stated Dr. Stanley G. Rosen, chairman, CSA Board of Directors and director, Strategic Development and Integration, Boeing Satellite Systems.

"This process identified the major opportunities and threats to our future success. As described in the Plan, the California spirit of innovation and space systems engineering expertise have played a leading role in ensuring U.S. space mission success on the battlefield, on the moon, in earth orbit, on the International Space Station and now on Mars," stated CSA Space Enterprise Advisory Council (SEAC) honorary chairman Lt. General Eugene L. Tattini, USAF (ret.) and deputy director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"The goal of the planning team was to highlight California's unique network of space enterprise capabilities, and, more importantly, identify and address any impediments to ongoing space technology and market innovation and leadership."

John R. Parsons, SEAC co-chair and senior vice president, Engineering and Technology Group, The Aerospace Corporation, described the five priority strategic initiatives which form the centerpiece of the 2004 California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan:

1. Space Enterprise Business Development, Retention and Growth

Goal: Provide a positive, supportive business climate and space enterprise environment, addressing obstacles to and opportunities for California space enterprise competitiveness

2. California Space Industrial Base Vitality

Goal: Sustain and enhance California's space-related manufacturing and infrastructure

3. Space Science, Research and Technology Development

Goal: Foster and support space-related science, research, technology development and innovation

4. Space Education and Workforce Development

Goal: Enhance space-related education and ensure appropriate 21st century space workforce

5. Public and Policymaker Awareness

Goal: Educate the general public and California policymakers -- local, State and Federal -- about the benefits, scope and needs of California space enterprise

"Many other states and foreign countries are targeting the space market. For California to keep and grow its unparalleled capability and remain competitive, we need to assure a space enterprise-friendly business environment," said former astronaut Richard Searfoss, SEAC co-chair and speaker, consultant and representative of Space Camp at the Queen Mary.

"The Plan includes over 110 performance objectives within all five cross-cutting strategies to ensure a healthy space enterprise community."

"CSA is establishing, for each strategic initiative, a statewide group ("collaborative") charged with accomplishing the performance objectives within each initiative," said Ms. Seastrand.

"Participants of the collaboratives will draw upon California's vast network of public and private space enterprise stakeholders for guidance and resources regarding implementation. The five collaboratives will report periodically to the Space Enterprise Advisory Council, which will serve as the coordinator of the Plan's implementation."

Governed by a statewide board of directors, the California Space Authority (CSA) is a nonprofit corporation representing the interests of California's diverse space enterprise community in all three domains: commercial, civil and national security.

Working closely with the State of California, CSA partners with industry, government, workforce-related entities and academia to facilitate statewide space enterprise development.

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