Tulsa is aiming to rocket itself into becoming the next centralized hub for space technology with the construction of a new testing center slated to open in 2027.
The center is a collaboration between the city and Agile Space Industries. Over 70 people gathered Friday at the 20-acre site to celebrate what has been described as the next great opportunity for the city.
“National benefit is key. It’s gonna put Tulsa on the map. It’s gonna put Oklahoma on the map,” said Chris Pearson, CEO of Agile.
The groundbreaking took place just one day after business leaders met to discuss strategies to make Tulsa a leader in autonomous manufacturing.
“If you can put a test ecosystem here, other businesses are going to come,” Pearson told the audience.
Mayor Monroe Nichols, Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell and Tulsa Airports Improvement Trust CEO Alexis Higgins joined Pearson to discuss how the center could serve as the catalyst for creating high-quality jobs for space-related research, testing and satellite manufacturing. The site, located on 36th Street North near the Amazon distribution center, is owned by the trust.
Pearson said the test center would create 50 jobs in its first phase, but that could increase to “a couple hundred jobs” if they kick off manufacturing.
Agile is a Colorado-based aerospace company that specializes in space propulsion and design. They build and test rocket engines specifically for satellites, lunar landing and other machinery.
Not to be confused with a rocket launching site, Agile’s test center will function as a place that simulates the extreme, harsh environment of space — like a vacuum or intense heat — to verify that satellites, rockets and other instruments will work once they’re launched.
“We’re not firing enormous, noisy rockets,” Pearson said. “These are in space propulsion. These are smaller engines which we use to move within space and vacuum the space. So by their nature, when you fire a vacuum, it’s quiet … It’s not gonna be a crazy thing.”
Tulsa is contributing at least $20 million to constructing the facility. Pearson didn’t say how much funding Agile would put up.
The idea for bringing a test center to Oklahoma came in 2024 from Jim Bridenstine, the former Congressman and NASA administrator during the first Trump administration.
Now serving as managing partner of space and defense advisory service The Artemis Group, Bridenstine emphasized how much space technology is already integrated into people’s day to day lives.
“GPS is necessary for regulating data on wireless networks. If you like your cellphone, we need that GPS constellation,” Bridenstine said. “If you like to bank, we need a timing signal from GPS for the banking system in this country. If you like electricity, we need that GPS timing signal, ultimately, so we can manage the flows of electricity on the power grid.”
Oklahoma’s investment in space technology is intended to turn the state into a global player, but it’s no stranger to commercial aerospace maintenance. Boeing, American Airlines and Nordam all have operations in Tulsa.
Ismael Lele is a Report for America corps member and writes about business in Tulsa for The Oklahoma Eagle. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting this link.
