SEATTLE — The Jet City's space industry is booming.
That was the upshot of a new economic impact review conducted by the Puget Sound Regional Council, a public-private economic development organization. The review, released last week, found the region's space industry has doubled its economic impact in recent years, and accounted for $4.6 billion in economic activity in 2021.
Key to the growth was Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin, the Bezos-founded spacecraft maker headquartered in Kent, Washington, emerged as the region's major player. The privately held company in 2020 opened the O'Neill Building, a 232,885-square-foot facility in Kent that can accommodate 1,500 employees.
