Gov. visited Long Beach, the area known as "Space Beach," and toured Rocket Lab on Oct. 15, the governor's office said. The release is the administration's account of the visit and of the state's aerospace standing.

According to the governor's office, California ranks first in NASA science funding, company-funded aerospace R&D and space-technology venture capital; is home to one-third of the nation's space-technology companies; and receives about $3 billion a year in NASA science funding.

The release described Rocket Lab as a Long Beach manufacturer of orbital rockets, spacecraft and satellites; it said Rocket Lab was founded in 2006 in New Zealand, opened U.S. operations in Los Angeles in 2013 and moved its headquarters to Long Beach in 2020. The governor’s office noted Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket has flown more than 90 missions and that the larger, reusable Neutron rocket is expected to fly in 2027.

The administration positioned aerospace and defense as a priority in its Jobs First Economic Blueprint; the release said the sector contributes an estimated $35 billion annually to California’s GDP and that the state has made targeted investments since 2025. Examples listed include a $16.95 million award in August 2025 to two Central Coast projects, a $19 million award in August 2026 to seven projects in Kern County, the Southern Border and the Bay Area, and multiple California Competes tax-credit awards that the release ties to specific investments and job counts.

The release highlighted federal assets based in California, including Ames Research Center, Armstrong Flight Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex; the office said Goldstone is the U.S. anchor of NASA’s Deep Space Network, which NASA calls "the largest and most sensitive scientific telecommunications system in the world."

The release cited more than 96,000 aerospace manufacturing jobs in California and said the state's West Coast launch range just posted its busiest years since the Apollo era.

The governor’s office directed readers to GO-Biz Aerospace & Defense for more information on state efforts to grow the sector.

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Gavin Newsom

Governor · Democrat

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