ECONOMIC
BOOSTER
Kennedy Space Center created Space Coast
and launched thriving economy
By Maria Sonnnberg
The Orion 1 capsule, designed by
Lockheed Martin, heads toward the
Vehicle Assembly Building at the
Kennedy Space Center.
22: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER
CELEBRATES 60 YEARS
While Brevard County enjoys
one of the most diverse
economies in the country,
it will always remain
intrinsically connected to the economy of the
space program and the Kennedy Space Center,
which has significantly impacted the county’s
ups and downs since its start in 1962.
According to Space Florida, the state’s
aerospace economic development agency,
NASA generates jobs for 33,000 workers and
financially impacts the Space Coast to the
tune of $5.9 billion. Florida reigns supreme
as leader in the global space industry in large
part because of the concentration of space
industry leaders that call Brevard County their
launchpads.
Like a good marriage, the relationship between
the space industry and the county has had its
NASA/LOCKHEED MARTIN
>>
NASA/SPACE X
Elon Musk’s Space X is another major employer in the Space Coast.
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