Space Florida Marks $6 Billion in the Statewide Space Project Pipeline
More Than Half a Billion Invested in Spaceport-Located Projects
The aerospace finance and development authority for the state of Florida closed out 2025 with a 220-aerospace project pipeline valued at $6 billion and more than a half a billion dollars invested in spaceports from 2012 to 2025. Space Florida, in close partnership with FloridaCommerce and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), continues to set the standard for aerospace commerce.
“We’ve built an ecosystem where industry can move faster, invest with confidence, and grow for the long term.”
Rob Long, Space Florida
Florida’s dominance is evident in its record-breaking 109 launches in 2025, transporting more than 2,100 payloads totaling over 3 million pounds, leading America in the global space economy. As Florida enters the first full week of 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis reinforced the state’s commitment to aerospace growth through his FY26 budget recommendations, which include $17.5 million for Space Florida’s operating budget and $21 million to support strategic, substantive aerospace project investments statewide.
“What’s happening in Florida is the power of partnership at scale,” said Col. Rob Long (ret.), president and CEO, Space Florida. “We’ve built an ecosystem where industry can move faster, invest with confidence, and grow for the long term. That coordinated approach is why Florida’s aerospace strategy is working and why companies continue to choose. Florida’s aerospace future is accelerating faster than ever with leadership from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Chair Jeanette Nuñez.”
“Florida continues to lead because we match ambition with action. Space Florida’s achievements this year demonstrate the strength of our strategy and our valuable partnerships driving this industry forward,” said Jeanette Nuñez, Chair, Space Florida Board of Directors.
“This year Florida hit triple-digit launches from the Space Coast. A milestone that reflects FDOT’s commitment and partnership with Space Florida to keeping Florida as the center of space development and exploration,” said FDOT Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “Space launches from Florida’s coast surpass the number from anywhere in the globe, a true testament to the great leadership of our state and vision to the future.”
“Under Governor DeSantis’ leadership, Florida continues to invest in the talent, infrastructure, and financial structures necessary for aerospace innovation readiness,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. “While other states are scrambling to try to catch up to Florida’s aviation and aerospace advantages, we’re grateful for the Governor’s continued support of Space Florida and state and local partners to keep Florida on the forefront of launching and landing, manufacturing, defense collaboration, and commercial innovation.”
2025 Space Florida Projects and Initiatives
Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) — $120 million satellite processing facility operational at the Launch and Landing Facility; $19.5 million expansion underway following first production launch; 130+ jobs.
AURA AERO Manufacturing & Assembly Plant — $172.5 million 500,000-square-foot facility in Daytona Beach; production of up to 100 aircraft per year beginning in 2029; 1,030 jobs.
BAE Systems Ship Repair Facility — $250 million shiplift and land-level ship repair facility in Jacksonville opened in 2025, tripling dry-dock capacity for military and commercial vessels.
Blue Origin Lunar Production Facility — $9.25 million investment supporting lunar vehicle assembly for New Glenn at Cape Canaveral, completed in September 2025; Blue Origin now employs nearly 4,000 people in the state.
Boeing & Embry-Riddle Engineering Center — 65,000-square-foot facility at Embry-Riddle Research Park supporting defense and space design, R&D, prototyping, and workforce development; 400 jobs.
Leonardo Florida Support Center — $65 million helicopter maintenance and support facility in Santa Rosa County serving U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard fleets; 150 jobs.
Lonestar Data Holdings — Integration and testing completed for “Freedom,” the world’s first physical lunar data center payload.
SpaceX Gigabay & Starship Launch Operations — $1.8 billion, 815,000-square-foot Starship and Super Heavy integration facility under construction at Cape Canaveral; completion expected in 2026; 600 jobs.
Star Catcher — Successful optical power-beaming demonstrations at the Launch and Landing Facility, delivering more than 1.1 kW to solar panels and validating scalable in-orbit power networks.
Williams International — $1 billion+ investment in a multi-phase aviation gas turbine manufacturing campus in Okaloosa County; first 250,000-square-foot phase targeted for late 2026; 330+ jobs.