STAR HARBOR is planning a 53-acre mixed-use development campus and training center south of Denver in Lone Tree, CO (Douglas County). The commercial astronaut training, space workforce development and technology incubator program also launched a Series B fundraising round through July 15 to further the development of the project.
With initial offerings beginning in 2026, the mixed-use campus will host customers and the public. At its heart will be the STAR HARBOR Academy, a striking, iconic building designed by AOA, world leaders in experience design who routinely collaborate with Fortune 50 companies to bring unique ideas to life. The Academy will feature microgravity flights, neutral buoyancy facility, high-gravity centrifuge, land based and underwater habitats, hypobaric and hyperbaric chambers, simulation labs, and human performance center. Additional campus features will include a space-themed hotel, office space, Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space, non-profit Public Inspiration center and entertainment and event venues, including an e-sports arena. The STAR HARBOR campus is expected to attract more than two million annual visitors.
Beyond human spaceflight safety and mission preparation, STAR HARBOR will incubate and accelerate emerging technologies across various industries and make available the necessary test environments to cost-effectively prove technologies on the ground prior to launch. There are currently six government-sponsored space research and development facilities worldwide but none are open to the public, limiting the development of new products and technologies that benefit from testing in similar environments in which they will operate in space.
The planned STAR HARBOR Lab-to-Orbit™ research campus will lower barriers-to-entry for commercial innovation, scale and speed. STAR HARBOR has already established more than 30 significant partnerships and memorandums of understanding encompassing major aerospace, technology, and defense companies, leading educational organizations, international space agencies, and relevant U.S. government entities. The company looks forward to sharing these partnerships in the coming weeks.
The woman-led team is made up of best-in-class astrophysicists, astronauts and business executives committed to removing barriers to inclusion in the aerospace ecosystem. “There is an unprecedented renaissance occurring within the Space industry today and our leading edge capabilities and people-centered approach will accelerate this transformation in ways that are not only critically needed in the industry but will foster a new vision for how Space can be leveraged to improve life on Earth,” said Maraia Tanner, founder and CEO, STAR HARBOR. “We have the opportunity to foster a new generation of explorers, innovators, entrepreneurs, educators and technologies to leave a powerful, positive legacy for generations to come”.
The global commercial space economy is booming, valued at more than $450 billion and expected to grow to more than one trillion dollars by 2040. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce predicts the U.S. will need more than 1.5 million workers to power the space economy. STAR HARBOR’s Humans-to-Orbit™ Astronaut Certification Program is poised to help meet this need by defining industry spaceflight safety regulations and standards for training and certifying the next generation of commercial astronauts. The academy includes four programs focused on operators, users, mission specialists, and passengers. The center’s research and incubation projects will also include a focus on adaptable climate solutions.
Contract Opportunities to Watch
Booz Allen
NASA has awarded the Cybersecurity and Privacy Enterprise Solutions and Services (CyPrESS) contract to Booz Allen.
CyPrESS is a cost plus award fee core and hybrid indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a total potential value of $622.5 million. The period of performance includes a base period that begins May 31, 2022, and runs through Sept. 30, 2023, as well as four option periods that run through Sept. 30, 2030.
Under the terms of the contract, Booz Allen will provide cybersecurity and privacy enterprise solutions and services, as well as related services, for the agency’s Office of Chief Information Office. TheCyPrESS contract is the first enterprise cybersecurity and privacy services contract and consolidates cybersecurity and privacy work from various center and enterprise information technology contracts.
Key Employer in the Cleared Industry: CISA
Are you up for a challenge? As technology becomes increasingly more sophisticated, the demand for an experienced and qualified workforce to protect our nation from cybersecurity risks has never been greater. That’s why we need you to take on the challenge and help make a meaningful impact. Submit your resume.
Cleared Opportunities
The first CV90 combat support vehicles were delivered to the Norwegian Armed Forces during a ceremony hosted by local industry partner Ritek AS in Levanger, Norway. The four vehicles are the first of 20 modernized CV90 engineering vehicles BAE Systems will deliver, in partnership with Ritek and the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency.
“While rebuilding these vehicles, it has been important for the government that Norwegian jobs are supported,” said Bent Joacim Bentzen, the State Secretary in the Ministry of Defense. “This has been possible thanks to a smooth and well-functioning collaboration between the Armed Forces, Defence Material Agency, Ritek, and the licenser BAE Systems Hägglunds.”
Partnering with the Norwegian defense industry was a key factor in getting the contract signed and the vehicles into production quickly, under measures implemented by the Norwegian parliament to support the country’s economy through the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
BAE Systems serves as the main supplier, while Ritek plays a central role in purchasing, logistics, final assembly, and integration. Ritek has also been responsible for coordinating the project and growing the participation of Norwegian industry. As a result, about 20 Norwegian companies are now qualified suppliers of products and components for the CV90 vehicles, and an integral part of BAE Systems’ Norwegian supply chain.
“This is an example of how it is possible to achieve fast deliveries through well-functioning cooperation,” said Gro Jære, Director of the Defence Material Agency. “Just over a year after the contract was signed, we can now confirm that we are in the process of delivering the latest production series of CV90-based combat support vehicles to the Armed Forces. I would like to thank BAE Systems, Ritek, and my project staff for their flexibility, focus on delivery, and effort so far.”
The close cooperation between all parties has broadened Norway’s overall national capacity in the defense vehicle space and its preparedness to support the vehicles. The Norwegian CV90 fleet is fully digitalized, and among the most advanced combat vehicles in the world.
