Uniting and advancing the region’s aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
Get in contactMission statement and the four pillars of the South Florida Aerospace Council.
Mission
Statement
The aerospace industry is undergoing its biggest transformation since the space race, and the places that will define this era have not yet been decided. South Florida has assembled the conditions to be among them in ways that have gone almost entirely unnoticed, including by the region itself. We must act decisively to ensure this rare alignment is not remembered as a missed opportunity of generational scale.
Our Four
Pillars
Four mandates in service of one outcome: an aerospace future South Florida builds on purpose.
The Case for
South Florida
An industry's inflection point.
The global space economy surpassed $600 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $1 trillion within the next decade, driven by the return to the Moon through NASA's Artemis program, and the emergence of orbital data centers being developed by SpaceX, Google, and Blue Origin.
A region of prosperity.
South Florida is uniquely positioned to capture that upstream demand. The region has experienced one of the largest migrations of institutional capital in modern American history, operates the busiest freight airport in the United States, and is home to a network of aerospace education programs. SOUTHCOM, headquartered in Doral, commands U.S. military relationships across 31 nations.
The industry is already here.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are home to over 150 Aerospace and Defense companies. HEICO Corporation is headquartered in Hollywood. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing all maintain operations in the region. In 2025, AST SpaceMobile announced a satellite manufacturing facility in Homestead.
Mission Statement
The aerospace industry is undergoing its biggest transformation since the space race, and the places that will define this era have not yet been decided. South Florida has assembled the conditions to be among them in ways that have gone almost entirely unnoticed, including by the region itself. We must act decisively to ensure this rare alignment is not remembered as a missed opportunity of generational scale.
Our Four Pillars
Four mandates in service of one outcome: an aerospace future South Florida builds on purpose.
The Case for South Florida
An industry's inflection point.
The global space economy surpassed $600 billion in 2024 and is projected to exceed $1 trillion within the next decade, driven by the return to the Moon through NASA's Artemis program, and the emergence of orbital data centers being developed by SpaceX, Google, and Blue Origin.
A region of prosperity.
South Florida is uniquely positioned to capture that upstream demand. The region has experienced one of the largest migrations of institutional capital in modern American history, operates the busiest freight airport in the United States, and is home to a network of aerospace education programs at universities and technical colleges across the region. SOUTHCOM, headquartered in Doral, commands U.S. military relationships across 31 nations.
The industry is already here.
Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties are home to over 150 Aerospace and Defense companies. HEICO Corporation is headquartered in Hollywood. Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing all maintain operations in the region. In 2025, AST SpaceMobile announced a satellite manufacturing facility in Homestead.
The Corridor
One corridor, end to end.
The Space Coast launches. That is one stage of a value chain that begins far upstream of the launchpad.
South Florida supplies that upstream work: capital markets, logistics, the corporate base, and the workforce to run it.
Coordinate the two regions and Florida becomes the most complete aerospace state in the country. From the launchpads of Cape Canaveral to the capital and logistics hub of Miami, with no gap in between. No other state can replicate it.
South Florida aerospace in focus
Independent reporting on the companies, contracts, and developments shaping it.
Governor Ron DeSantis Announces $600M Blue Origin Manufacturing Expansion, 500 High Wage Jobs
Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez Secures New F-35 Jets for Homestead Air Reserve Base
Middle East tensions could bring more defense work to Central Florida
Miami International Airport reports sixth year of cargo growth
Powering America's Busiest Spaceport State, Space Florida Announces 2026 Call for Projects
HEICO Corporation Completes EthosEnergy Accessories and Components Acquisition
Record number of Space Coast launches expected in 2026
Governor Ron DeSantis Announces $600M Blue Origin Manufacturing Expansion, 500 High Wage Jobs
Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez Secures New F-35 Jets for Homestead Air Reserve Base
Middle East tensions could bring more defense work to Central Florida
Miami International Airport reports sixth year of cargo growth
Powering America's Busiest Spaceport State, Space Florida Announces 2026 Call for Projects
HEICO Corporation Completes EthosEnergy Accessories and Components Acquisition
Record number of Space Coast launches expected in 2026
Governor Ron DeSantis Announces $600M Blue Origin Manufacturing Expansion, 500 High Wage Jobs
Congressman Carlos A. Gimenez Secures New F-35 Jets for Homestead Air Reserve Base
Middle East tensions could bring more defense work to Central Florida
Miami International Airport reports sixth year of cargo growth
Powering America's Busiest Spaceport State, Space Florida Announces 2026 Call for Projects
HEICO Corporation Completes EthosEnergy Accessories and Components Acquisition
Record number of Space Coast launches expected in 2026
Forming now
The Founding Cohort
The Council exists for those who believe the economic trajectory of a region reflects the ambitions its people are willing to organize around. Its strength will be measured by the breadth and seriousness of that collective effort.
Industry
You operate an aerospace or defense company in the tri-county region.
Academia
You lead an institution developing the next generation of technical talent.
Capital
You manage capital that recognizes a serious asset class when it sees one.
Government
You hold authority over the conditions in which this industry will grow.
You have a place at this table.