B (10:44)

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A (12:08)

Our guest today is Sarah Harris, Executive Director of the Midland Development Corporation. I asked Sarah to tell us more about the organization and its work with the space industry.

C (12:22)

I am the Executive Director of the Midland Development Corporation, so my organization is tasked with strengthening and diversifying Midland's economy. And about 12 years ago a bunch of very smart and farsighted people made the decision to target aerospace and defense as a complementary industry sector for Midland. So whenever I go about my work attracting companies to Midland, that is one of my primary targets.

A (12:50)

That's fantastic. Well Sarah, thank you so much for joining me today and our chat's going to be basically all about all the things going on at Midland because you all have been very busy, which is always a wonderful thing to hear. So I feel like since I Have never been to Midland. Just could you, could you paint me a picture a little bit? What is it like if I was going to the spaceport there, can you tell me a bit about what I would see?

C (13:10)

Yes. Midland is very flat with very clear skies. We enjoy a lot of sunny days every year, which is awesome. Midland is the heart of the oil and gas industry. The Permian Basin, one of the most productive basins in the nation, if not the world. So that is really the driver for our economy. And the good news is that oil and gas industry is very complementary to aerospace in terms of workforce and land use. So if you flew into Midland, you would see a lot of well sites, you would see a lot of flat, open space and you would see those beautiful clear skies that are really well suited for air use and launch.

A (13:51)

Fantastic. So tell me a bit more about the latest at Midland. So you've been mentioning a lot about sort of the economic development. Tell me a bit about what's been going on.

C (14:01)

Well, we have a growing industry cluster of aerospace and defense companies that are here in Midland. The largest of those is AST Space Mobile. They're headquartered in Midland and they have about a thousand employees here now. And they manufacture satellites and solar panels for their telecommunications array. They are in the midst now of a very aggressive launch schedule that I'm sure a lot of people are familiar with if you follow industry and launch. So we are celebrating their success with them. We also have Starfighter space here. They are moving some of their assets to Midland, their F104 planes to take advantage of a high speed airspace corridor that we are working to establish that would connect the spaceport at Midland with Spaceport America. That corridor could be utilized for supersonic flight, for testing and possibly air launch down the road. But Starfighters has also enjoyed a lot of success recently. They just finished their initial public offering and are public now. So they're very successful as well. And then we've got some. Some other companies in the air and aerospace and defense nexus as well that we've welcomed here to Midland. So we're very excited about that.

A (15:17)

Yeah. And one thing I've. I've learned over the years speaking with people who develop and enrich spaceports is many spaceports sort of have. Not a special. Maybe specialization is kind of the wrong term, but something that they're known for and that companies that are looking to be at the spaceport can. Can sort of take advantage of. If I'm maybe using it correctly. What would Midland be sort of known for and what kind of companies are you looking to attract?

C (15:50)

Midland's advantage, among others, is airspace. So we do have the advantage of having a lot of clear airspace, especially to the west toward White Sands, that is not utilized heavily by commercial flights. So that opens the opportunity for flights like Starfighters is going to have. And then West Texas is. It's beautiful, it's big. And it presents the opportunity for a potential inland orbital launch site as well, which is a project that Midland is working to initiate with the Texas Space Commission. In addition to that, there's plentiful land in Midland, Very flat, doesn't need a lot of civil work if you're putting in a new facility. And Midland's workforce has a lot of technical skills like engineering. Midland has twice the national average number of engineers per capita. So the existing workforce is easily introduced or reskilled for aerospace and defense. And that is something that companies that we welcomed here have taken advantage of. Extremely high density projects like research and development might not be the best fit for Midland. We understand that and we welcome them to other cities in Texas. But companies that need spaces to test, to manufacture and to fly are a great fit for Midland. And we can welcome them here and give them what they need to succeed.

A (17:20)

Fantastic. Thank you. So, yeah, I'm gonna put a pin in two really great points that you made. We'll go back to the workforce development point. Cause that is so important. I know it's something that many spaceports are really passionate about. And you made a great point. So we'll get back to that in a minute. But I wanted to talk a little bit about vertical launch. My understanding is last year you all were awarded a $5 million grant to support vertical launch at Midland. Can you tell me a bit more about that?

C (17:46)

Yes. This grant is in finalization with the Texas Space Commission to initiate a potential inland vertical orbital launch range west of Midland, which would offer the opportunity to be the first commercial inland launch range. It could offer redundancy for a launch site that is not located on the coast. And it could also offer, you know, that commercial use case for companies that need launch that are facing long wait times at existing launch locations.

A (18:26)

So is the site in development or so you said? It's sort of like in the works or how. Where are we on the timeline for that? Or is it still too early?

C (18:33)

It is very early. We are moving toward finalization of the grant agreement with the Texas Space Commission right now.

A (18:39)

Understood. So let's move over to workforce development. You made a really interesting point about how the local workforce has A huge concentration of engineers who can be reskilled. And I know many spaceports are also hugely instrumental in supporting local economies and also upskilling the local workforces if needed. Tell me a bit about Midland's role in not just the local economy, but also growing the space pipeline.

C (19:07)

We work very closely with our higher educational partners. The University of Texas Permian Basin is in Midland. Their College of Engineering is in Midland. They also have a campus in our neighboring city, Odessa. So they are invaluable partners when it comes to not only the engineering degrees that they offer, but also the manufacturing tracks that they have that can directly impact people who are interested in working in aerospace. There are multiple students right now who are taking advantage of this manufacturing track at University of Texas Permian Basin in partnership with TMAC to get the skills that they need to be hired by companies like AST and their assembly lines. So that's very exciting. We also partner closely with Midland College, our local community college. They have an airframe and power plant program. So Star Fighters is utilizing that program for workers to work on their engines, the jet engines that they use and the F104s. And then of course, we have partnerships with Midland Independent School District because the pipeline of younger kids who are interested in a career in aerospace or defense has to be cultivated early. You know, let eighth graders know that that's a potential career for them. We work with Higher Orbits, an organization that brings aerospace STEM programming into schools. And that has been a really fantastic program to introduce students in our school district to the potential of working in aerospace. And we've loved that partnership.

A (20:44)

That. And they're a great organization too, for sure. And I feel like I'd be amiss if I didn't mention the International Rocket Engineering Competition. Yes. Yeah, tell me a bit about that.

C (20:54)

The International Rocket Engineering Competition was held outside in Midland and to the west of Midland last year. That was a fantastic event. Welcomed thousands of students from all over the world for a chance to launch rockets at a site west of Midland. It was very successful and so amazing to see all of these young people who are excited about creating and actuating their dreams out here.

A (21:22)

And it's going to be back in 2026 too. That is correct.

C (21:25)

That is correct. It'll be back in June.

A (21:27)

That's amazing. That's so great. Well, Sarah, thank you so much for walking me through sort of the latest at Midland Spaceport. And I'd love to get sort of some wrap up thoughts from you about what you see for the vision for the next five, 10 years. And you know, what you're looking forward.

C (21:43)

To, the vision is to, you know, economic development perspective is always to increase jobs. So we love that. But we also love the opportunity to help the aerospace and defense industries grow here. The support from the state and the Texas Space Commission has been invaluable, the impetus to really make Texas a leader in aerospace and the vision that we are seeing from the leaders at the state level is a huge, huge help to us because, you know, 12 years ago Midland got its spaceport license and it was a dream. So to see how far we've progressed is inspiring. Thanks to the work of state leaders and local leaders I've had the opportunity, opportunity to work with. But we have a lot farther to go. So we look forward to working in collaboration with other parts of the state, with other organizations to bring this kind of collaborative Texas network of offerings together to advance the industry across the state.

A (23:01)

We will be right back.

B (23:11)

Most security conferences talk about Zero Trust Zero Trust World puts you inside. This is a hands on cybersecurity event designed for practitioners who want real skills, not just theory. You'll take part in live hacking labs where you'll attack real environments, see how modern threats actually work and learn how to stop them before they turn into incidents. But Zero Trust World is more than labs. You'll also experience expert led sessions, practical case studies and technical deep dives focused on real world implementation. Whether your blue team, red team or responsible for securing an entire organization, the content is built to be immediately useful. You'll earn CPE credits, connect with peers across the industry and leave with strategies you can put into action right away. Join us March 4th through the 6th in Orlando, Florida. Register now at ztw.com and take your zero trust strategy from Theory to execution.

A (24:22)

Welcome back. I need exactly zero excuses to talk about America's astrochimp ham. But why not? 31 January was actually the anniversary of his flight into space. In 1961, he flew 157 miles into space. And no, he was not the first primate in space, but the second, as his flight was just a month after Yuri Gagarin's. And one of my favorite places, the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, just had a 2026 ham day for the kids where they got to learn about the many ways that chimpanzees truly paved the way for human space exploration. Now Ham the astrochimp was trained by Edward C. Dittmer Senior, who actually was from Alamogordo. And Ham himself is also actually buried in a lovely memorial right out front in front of the museum. And his grave site has this lovely epitaph. Ham proved mankind could live and work in space. So as always, thank you Ham. And thank you to the New Mexico Museum of Space History for keeping his story alive for the next generation. And speaking of keeping stories alive for the next generation, a salute of thanks and a job of well done to he who has made science alive for so many of us. Okay, let me say that better who made science alive for so many of us. Consider the following Bill Nye, the Science Guy is stepping down from his role as CEO of the Planetary Society. After 15 years of truly tireless scientific advocacy. He's going to be moving into a newly created role as Chief Ambassador for Planetary and Planetary Society's coo. Jennifer Vaughn, who has been in that role for over two decades by the way, will now become the new CEO. So a big thanks again to Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill. And a huge congratulations to Jen on her promotion to the.

B (26:29)

Foreign.

A (26:33)

That'S T minus Brought to you by N2K CyberWire we'd love to know what you think of our podcast. Your feedback ensures we deliver the insights that keep you a step ahead in the rapidly changing space industry. If you like our show, please share a rating and review in your podcast app. Please also fill out the survey in the show notes or send an email to space n2k.com we are proud of that. N2K CyberWire is part of the daily routine of the most influential leaders and operators in the public and private sector. From the Fortune 500 to many of the world's preeminent intelligence and law enforcement agencies, N2K helps space and cybersecurity professionals grow, learn and stay informed. As the nexus for discovery and connection, we bring you the people, the technology and the ideas shaping the future of secure innovation. Learn how@n2k.com N2K Senior Producer is Alice Carruth. Our producer is Liz Stokes. We are mixed by Elliot Peltzman and Trey Hester with original music by Elliot Peltzman. Our Executive Producer is Jennifer Ibin. Peter Kilke is our publisher and I am your host, Maria Vermazes. Thank you for listening. See you tomorrow.

B (27:45)

T minus. If you only attend one cybersecurity conference this year, make it RSAC 2026. It's happening March 23rd through the 26th in San Francisco, bringing together the global security community for four days of expert insights, hands on learning and real innovation. I'll say this plainly, I never miss this conference. The ideas and conversations stay with me all year. Join thousands of practitioners and leaders tackling today's toughest challenges and shaping what comes next. Register today@rsaconference.com cyberwire26 I'll see you in San Francisco.