Some concepts are easy to visualize, like the Space Launch System rocket — with its signature orange centerpiece — lifting off into space. Others are more difficult, such as imagining what the manufacturing floors of supplier companies look like. Yet, it’s the supply chain and those who work within it that make spectacular events like a rocket launch happen. One doesn’t exist without the other.
Pulling the curtain back on the critical work of suppliers who manufacture the parts and technology that make our space program possible is vital to the continued success of these companies and our national space program. When leaders in government can see the big picture, support will follow.
The big picture of SLS incorporates more than 420 supplier companies in 38 states. It sustains approximately 22,000 jobs throughout the country and generates roughly $1 billion in estimated economic impact. Here in California, there are more than 120 suppliers employing thousands of workers in support of SLS. It is a significant contributor to the state economy, generating more than $100 million in economic impact annually.
Each supplier holds a piece of our shared future in space, including my company – Votaw Precision Technologies in Santa Fe Springs. Our 230 employees specialize in fabrication, precision machining, large turning, ground support equipment, and flight hardware and tooling for space programs. A good portion of our work directly supports the SLS program.
It’s the latest chapter in our history of supplying critical components and expertise to the U.S. space program. We were humbled to work on manufacturing solutions after the tragic Challenger accident and we’ve been honored to host astronauts at our facility — living pictures of bravery, exploration, and excellence.
Those astronauts symbolize the importance of our work as manufacturers and are an inspiration for our team to strive each day to provide the highest standard of quality and safety in our products. We are responsible for keeping safe the men and women who are changing the world through their exploration beyond it. This is a responsibility we share with our fellow business owners here and around the country, and one we take seriously.
NASA’s SLS is a key component of America’s success in space because it’s the only rocket currently able to transport the Orion spacecraft, as well as astronauts, supplies, and equipment to the Moon in a single mission. Beyond the Moon, NASA’s SLS’s innovative design and technologies will enable it to travel into Deep Space and eventually Mars through the Artemis missions.
This creates a new generation of opportunity for scientific research, technological advancement and implementation, and cutting-edge intelligence and defense capabilities. But America’s position in space is not guaranteed. It is going to take sustained investment to keep the U.S. in the driver’s seat and achieve long-term success.
In our shop, we feature a mural that visually outlines the history of our company since its founding in 1963. It shows every critical space product we’ve manufactured since our founding, the various rockets and platforms our products were part of, and the astronauts who relied on us to do their jobs successfully. That is our big picture — our daily reminder that we are a critical piece of the American space program.
We’re in a season of change as a new president and a new Congress begins. Here, too, there are new representatives in state government as well as representing California in Washington, D.C. The future of space is going to be a priority in 2025. I urge our lawmakers to consider the big picture and continue supporting NASA, the Artemis missions, and SLS.
Scott Wallace is vice president of Votaw Precision Technologies, a manufacturer of aerospace and flight hardware based in Santa Fe Springs.
