Ohio’s contributions to NASA’s plan to go back to the moon are significant. At Cleveland’s NASA Glenn Space Center, the more than 3,000 researchers, engineers, scientists and administrators working on the Artemis program — which is set to return to the moon and create a permanent base there for an eventual trip to Mars — are quick to say that the road to the moon goes through Ohio.
The Artemis program, along with the United States Space Force and other National Aeronautics and Space Administration programs centered around space travel, are predicted to create a global $1 trillion industry by 2040, Casey Swails, NASA deputy associate administrator, told a gathering of space agency and aerospace industry leaders at the Ohio Space Forum in downtown Cleveland, hosted by JobsOhio, on Tuesday, May 23.
Currently, there are 57 Ohio companies involved with the Artemis program, many located in Northeast Ohio, she added.
“Ohio is a global leader in the commercial aviation and space industry,” state Rep. Adam Holmes, R-Nashport, said to a panel of business leaders with facilities in Ohio related to the space economy.
Holmes, a member of the Ohio House’s Aviation and Aerospace Committee, then asked a panel, What are the benefits and barriers of working in Ohio’s aerospace industry?
Ohio has a huge advantage over other space economy states, said Brandon Cesul, technical fellow and principal space systems engineer at KBR National Security Technologies Group, which provides satellite systems support for NASA.
Cesul points out that there are more engineers, scientists and research facilities related to the aerospace industry in the area between Cleveland’s NASA Glenn and Dayton’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base than exist in the area between Los Angeles and Silicon Valley.
“The No. 1 overwhelming thing for Ohio, compared to other regions or states, is the fact that it has two NASA centers (Glenn and the Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, formerly known as Plum Brook Station). Having that in one state makes a huge difference — it is a huge advantage,” Cesul said.
Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing base, coupled with proximity to the NASA and Wright-Patterson testing facilities, is extremely beneficial for any company looking to take advantage of the space economy, added Markus Heinimann, vice president of technology for Howmet Aerospace. The Pittsburgh-based company has several Ohio locations that provide high-performance metals for the airline, defense and aerospace industry.
“The fact that manufacturing is part of Ohio’s DNA is essential to what we do,” Heinimann said. “It means that there is also a workforce all the way from the operators to engineering talent and R&D talent. It is not just the access we get to the large manufacturing facilities, but also the hundreds of smaller suppliers, the machine shops that support them, because having access to that supply chain is crucial.”
A close partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson, which helps with material development and testing initiatives, is also key, Heinimann said, adding that “having that type of expertise so close to our facility is just tremendous.”
“The culture here is building things. There is a lot of workforce to draw from, including people who love to work with their hands,” said Mark Dapore, technical director of space avionics at Mason, Ohio-based L3Harris Technologies, which provides the electronics that control Artemis’ solid rocket booster system.
The benefit of having that skilled workforce is tempered by concern about whether Ohio also can produce the number of skilled workers — even for manufacturing positions — needed, as everything in the aerospace industry is becoming more automated.
“We’re going to digital with a lot of our equipment. We need people that are comfortable with programming,” Heinimann said.
Dapore praised the work done by local and regional governments to incentivize development within the state and the bipartisan support Ohio’s congressional delegation has shown in support of bringing more programs to NASA Glenn.
But even with tax incentives and government programs, the region’s older commercial and industrial infrastructure could prove to be a challenge for an industry that is looking to find modern, shovel-ready facilities, Cesul said.
Another suggestion is that to incentivize growth in the aerospace industry, the region could invest in green or renewable energy sources, as larger, first-tier NASA-contracted companies look to improve their sustainability requirements and goals.
“Ohio should keep doing what it is doing,” Heinimann said. “But an investment in clean energy as customers float new environmental requirements is crucial, and could be a magic bullet for Ohio.”