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SPACE WORKFORCE INCUBATOR FOR TEXAS (SWIFT) RELEASES WHITE PAPER ON SPACE ECONOMY JOBS INCLUDING BOTTOM-UP ANALYSIS OF THE EMERGING SPACE ECONOMY WORKFORCE
In the report, SWIFT details a strategy that would allow Texas to capture a disproportionate share of a $428 billion economic opportunity, anchoring 300,000 high-wage jobs in both urban and rural communities
(AUSTIN, TEXAS — Oct. 22, 2025; source: Juice Consulting) — Today, Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT), an Austin-based 501(c)3 nonprofit focused on workforce development in Texas’ rapidly growing space sector, releases a white paper titled “The Space Economy Jobs Report” which includes a bottom-up analysis of the emerging space economy workforce. For this white paper, SWIFT analyzed nearly 5,000 individual job postings drawn from 27 employers in August of 2025. The white paper can be accessed here, and also click here to join the SWIFT mailing list for other news.
Tomorrow, Thursday, Oct. 23, SWIFT, in partnership with New Worlds, will gather leaders from industry, education, and government in Austin to chart a new course for Texas. SWIFT has created an afternoon with those building the new Texas space workforce—from shop floor to launch pad. Taking place at the AT&T Conference Center, SWIFT is proud to present a MasterMind programming session titled: Orbit-Ready: Closing the Texas Space Talent Gap, from 1-5 p.m. Speakers will include: Merrill Davis, Texas 2036; Brad Morrison, Board of Directors, Texas Space Commission; Rhys Anderson, Founder & CEO, Method MFG; Marcus Metzger, Founder, HICAM; Alexis Flores, Director of Workforce Development, ARMA; Traci Hendrix, Executive Director of CCMR, Pflugerville ISD; Sheri Bonds, CTE Director, Round Rock ISD; Tina Carver, Manager of High School Programs, Austin Community College; Jessie Camarillo, HR Business Partner, Acutronic; and William Moore, Advanced Manufacturing Student & President, SEDS ACC Rocketry Team. This particular event is not only part of New Worlds programming, but also free and open to members of the space industry. The public may RSVP here before Oct. 23 to attend. For media RSVPs to the session, please email here.
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“This is one of the first dedicated Space Economy workforce conference gatherings of its kind, and we are proud to be holding it here in Austin,” said Leon Vanstone, Vice President of SWIFT. “Texas has planted the flag on building the future of the space workforce.”
“The findings of this research clearly indicate space is not just for rocket-scientists,” added Geoff Tudor, President of SWIFT. “Almost half of the $2B in current space workforce job openings do not require bachelors’ degrees. The future is open to everyone and SWIFT is working with educational institutions around the state to help build on-ramps for these new careers in the space industry.”
In the white paper, SWIFT has found that the traditional image of the “rocket scientist” is being replaced by a skills-driven ecosystem where certifications, standards, and technical expertise increasingly define the needs of space economy companies - future space economy jobs will emerge where workforce density already exists. However, education and training systems are not yet producing credentialed, job-ready talent at the scale required, while the space industry itself has yet to establish shared standards to guide hiring and curriculum design. For Texas, this represents more than a challenge, it is a generational opening: by aligning programs around industry-recognized credentials, expanding paid, rapid training pathways, and creating regional space workforce hubs, Texas can prepare workers for both degree and non-degree pathways that lead directly to high-value roles.
Each posting was reviewed and structured using a custom taxonomy designed to encode role, requirements, skills, qualifications, and more, allowing SWIFT to compare jobs systematically across employers and categories, and put together a series of key findings which include:
- Jobs Follow Workforce Density
- Skills Are Essential, Degrees are Optional
- Credentials Signal Readiness
- Employers Are Paying to Close the Gap
- Technical Roles Dominate the Shortage
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(L-R) Geoff Tudor, President of SWIFT and
Dr. Leon Vanstone, Vice President of SWIFT
In the report, SWIFT details that this strategy would allow Texas to capture a disproportionate share of the $428 billion economic opportunity, anchoring 300,000 high-wage jobs in both urban and rural communities. This analysis shows that while California maintains a strong lead, it lacks a coordinated statewide effort to build the talent pipeline, creating a major opportunity for Texas - this is Texas’s moment to lead, capturing the space economy workforce pipeline and dominating space for decades to come.
SWIFT’s mission is to build people who will redefine the future of space exploration. Co-founded by Austinites Geoff Tudor, Leon Vanstone, Sandy Barker, Joseph Kopser, Heather Wagner Reed and Harvin Moore in 2024, Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT) connects industry and academia to build a pipeline of space-ready employees for Texas. SWIFT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building a robust, inclusive space workforce in Texas by uniting educational institutions, industry leaders, and aspiring engineers. SWIFT bridges the gap between talent and opportunity, and provides shared access to rocket testing platforms and hands-on training to ensure Texans are equipped to thrive in the booming space economy.
In other recent news, SWIFT and Hayes Innovation Center for Advanced Manufacturing (HICAM) welcomed the inaugural SWIFT Rocket Lab at HICAM, with the SEDS ACC Rocketry Team, who are already busy developing a hybrid rocket engine design and advanced two stage high altitude rocket for competition in the International Rocket Engineering Competition.
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SWIFT Co-Founders Sandy Barker, Leon Vanstone, Joseph Kopser, Harvin Moore, Heather Wagner Reed and Geoff Tudor
Additionally, every month SWIFT presents Ecosystem Space, a happy hour for professionals, entrepreneurs, technologists, investors, academics and government leaders working in the space industry. Ecosystem Space takes place on the second Thursday of each month at Capital Factory’s ACL Room (16th floor) with the next event happening on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 6 - 8 p.m. Next month’s event will be in partnership with Austin Technology Council and is sponsored by LSAS Tec USA (annual sponsor) along with Capital Factory, Juice Consulting, Starbase Brewing and Still Austin Whiskey. SWIFT’s community partners are Space Force Association (SFA), Texas Space Alliance and New Space Hub. Ecosystem Space is not a panel or a pitch, but a pulse check on the new horizon of space that sparks connection, collaboration and innovation across the Texas space economy. Members of the space industry are invited to RSVP here with their LinkedIn credentials. For media RSVPs or coverage inquiries, please email here.
To learn more about how SWIFT is transforming the future of Texas and the space industry, visit www.swiftrocket.org and join them in building a workforce that will shape the cosmos. For more information on SWIFT, see here, and follow SWIFT's socials on Instagram and LinkedIn for event recaps and future news.
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