The Space Foundation has partnered with Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC), a Fortune 500 technology integrator driving the country’s digital transformation.
SAIC has joined the Space Foundation and announced the first inclusive space cohort of six companies bringing together minority-owned and women-owned small businesses Space Commerce Entrepreneurship Program. The six companies were selected because of their diverse skills and abilities to meet the mission-critical needs of customers in the SAIC aerospace sector.
The announcement was made on Space Commerce Entrepreneurship Program Lunch instead of at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs in conjunction with the 36th annual space symposium, the premier gathering for the global space ecosystem, hosted by the Space Foundation. Lunch included presentations from SAIC, Space Development Agency (SDA), and Air Force research laboratory (AFRL) on high level objectives and skills required for future missions.
The Space Commerce Entrepreneurship Program helps small businesses and individuals navigate the global space ecosystem through its Workforce Development Roadmap. The program was first successful in workshops in the continental USA in 2019 by the Space Foundation. tried Center for Innovation and Education under a grant from the Minority Business Development Agency of the US Department of Commerce and today offers live workshops and online programs in collaboration with public and private corporations, government agencies, universities, accelerators / incubators, and local communities. Entrepreneurs gain critical insights that address the most common doing business challenges in the space industry. A complementary Junior Space Entrepreneur program offered to teachers and students has received a 2020 World Changing Idea Award from Fast Company.
The SAIC-Space Foundation collaboration began with identifying companies that matched SAIC’s technical priorities. Companies that meet these requirements have taken part in the Space Commerce Entrepreneurship program, which consists of three phases that include a special program at the 36th
“Inclusion is critical to success in space. As an integrator, SAIC is constantly reaching out to industry, government and academia to find and develop the best solutions and we cannot ignore new and promising sources of innovation, “said David Ray, Senior Vice President of Space at SAIC. “Partnering with the Space Foundation and a cohort of extremely promising small businesses is a natural extension of that philosophy. Given the variety of backgrounds and skills represented in this new program, I can’t help but look forward to tomorrow and what these relationships will mean for space missions. “
“The opportunities for various companies to integrate into the deep and rich supply chain of the global space ecosystem are both far-reaching and within reach and are essential to fueling space innovation,” said Shelli Braunschweig, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Leader of the Center for Innovation and Education at the Space Foundation. “Our partnership with SAIC validates our successful track record with entrepreneurs as we honor six companies, each showing a unique and promising future as a contribution to space exploration and space-inspired industries.”
