As a result of the successful development and ongoing implementation of the Hancock County Port & Harbor Commission’s (HCPHC) Aviation & Aerospace Strategy, nearly $200 million in capital investment and 230 new careers directly related to private space development have been announced in the region.
Hancock County boasts a host of space exploration assets including testing capabilities at Stennis Space Center and soon-to-be Stennis Spaceport. Private companies are beginning to take advantage of those amenities with recent announcements including Relativity Space with 200 new jobs and more than $65 million in capital investment and Lockheed Martin Space Systems with 30 new jobs and $30 million in capital investment. Each announcement from top tier commercial space and aviation companies further solidifies Hancock County’s position as Mississippi’s Space Coast.
In the area of Unmanned Systems, HCPHC and Stennis Airport were included in the application and successful award by Mississippi State to be the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Systems in a program called Alliance for System Safety of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Research Excellence (ASSURE).