Hawai’i is perfectly suited for certain sectors of the aerospace industry. Hawai’i’s unique geographical position and geological features translate into unique economic opportunities that can be used as strong pillars for a new, high-tech, high-paying Aerospace sector that would employ current Hawai’i residents. Some of the sectors that are economically advantageous for Hawai’i include: small satellite manufacturing, testing and on-orbit operations; small vehicle orbital launch; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (UAS) testing, research, and training, and; planetary surface training/testing programs.

The Hawai’i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL), under the University of Hawai’i Manoa, aims to:

• promote innovative engineering and science research for terrestrial and planetary space missions.
• develop, launch, and operate small spacecraft from the Hawaiian Islands to accelerate the validation of new space technologies.
• provide workforce training in all aspects of unmanned space missions.
• promote synergistic collaborations between educational, governmental, and corporate institutions interested in space exploration.

Future projects present solid opportunities for Private – Public partnerships and/or research grants that will benefit Hawai’i:

• LAUNCH OPERATIONS
  • Small Vehicle Launch Facility. Island of Hawai’i
  • Launch of Small Orbital Rocket from Towed UAS Glider Plane. Oahu, Hawai’i
• UAS
  • High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). Lana’i, Hawai’i.
  • UAS Programs in collaboration with UH and OSU.
  • Remote Sensing
• PLANETARY SURFACE OPERATIONS
  • Autonomous Rovers
  • Planetary Surface Analogue Experiments with Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES)