Building the Space Economy in Northern Virginia
How does a region position itself at the forefront of one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world?
At spaceNEXT 2026, a panel featuring Victor Hoskins (Fairfax County Economic Development Authority), Dan Storck (Fairfax County Board of Supervisors), and Jason El Koubi (Virginia Economic Development Partnership) explored how Northern Virginia has built the foundation for leadership in the rapidly expanding space economy.
Their conversation highlighted a simple but powerful idea: success in space isn’t just about rockets or satellites—it’s about the ecosystem that makes innovation possible. Talent, infrastructure, education, policy, and collaboration must all work together to enable long-term growth.
Decades of intentional investment
Northern Virginia’s leadership in space is rooted in decades of strategic investment across multiple technology sectors. As Hoskins explained, the region already hosts a dense network of technology companies, research institutions, and global connectivity infrastructure.
That ecosystem—built over generations through advances in communications, internet technologies, data infrastructure, and defense innovation—has positioned Northern Virginia to support the next phase of space-driven industries. From satellite systems and advanced manufacturing to space-enabled logistics and data platforms, the capabilities already present in the region map directly onto the needs of the modern space economy.
The panel emphasized that this momentum reflects the broader mission behind spaceNEXT, which brings together leaders from government, industry, academia, and investment to accelerate the development of new space-based industries. spaceNEXT Web Outline
Fairfax County’s strategy: people, infrastructure, opportunity
Supervisor Dan Storck emphasized that Fairfax County’s approach to economic development begins with long-term planning. Investments in education, transportation, and quality-of-life infrastructure are not just civic priorities—they are the foundation of a competitive technology economy.
Fairfax County’s schools and workforce programs play a central role in that strategy. The county’s education system—supported by regional universities and community colleges—helps produce the technical talent needed for emerging industries like aerospace and space technologies. Programs focused on aerospace education, advanced certifications, and STEM development help connect students directly to high-growth sectors.
Storck also pointed to the region’s diversity and global talent base as a major advantage, with hundreds of languages spoken across local schools and a steady pipeline of skilled workers entering technical fields.
This focus on people is essential because the most critical infrastructure for any technology ecosystem is talent.
Virginia’s statewide advantage
Jason El Koubi of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership expanded the conversation to the statewide level, explaining how Virginia has built one of the strongest innovation ecosystems in the country.
The Commonwealth combines world-class universities, advanced manufacturing capabilities, and a business-friendly climate with proximity to federal institutions that shape national policy and funding priorities for space.
Virginia also offers a rare operational advantage: the ability not only to research and design space technologies but also to manufacture and launch them. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Virginia’s Eastern Shore provides launch capacity alongside the region’s deep expertise in aerospace engineering, data infrastructure, and defense technologies.
El Koubi emphasized that Virginia’s strategy has always been comprehensive. Companies don’t succeed with just one resource—such as talent, infrastructure, or capital—but by having access to all of them at once. Virginia’s long-term investments have created exactly that kind of environment.
The power of regional collaboration
Another recurring theme throughout the discussion was collaboration. The success of Northern Virginia’s technology ecosystem is built on close partnerships between local governments, the state, universities, and the private sector.
Organizations like Connected DMV, which organizes both spaceNEXT and Quantum World Congress, play an important role in bringing these stakeholders together and accelerating the growth of emerging industries.
By creating spaces where policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, and researchers can work together, the region strengthens its ability to adapt quickly to new technological opportunities.
A place where companies can scale
For founders and investors exploring the space economy, the panel offered a clear takeaway: Northern Virginia is a place where companies can start small and grow rapidly.
With more than a hundred space-related companies already operating in the region—and thousands of technology firms supporting adjacent industries—the area offers a powerful cluster effect. Startups gain access to talent, partners, federal customers, and global connectivity in a single ecosystem.
That combination of assets is what continues to attract companies from around the world.
And as the global space economy accelerates toward new industries—from satellite networks to in-space manufacturing—the panel made clear that Northern Virginia intends to remain at the center of that growth.