Mike Haridopolos: “I thank the gentleman for his kind words and, more importantly, his efforts in Utah to promote the industry and make…”

“I thank the gentleman for his kind words and, more importantly, his efforts in Utah to promote the industry and make sure we have American dominance in space. As was mentioned, I am proud to be the new chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. It is not only imperative to our district but to the Nation for so many different reasons. I think the chart behind me is really telling the story about America today. Just a few short years ago, we ceded space dominance to other nations. We actually had to get a ride to space from, of all people, our former adversary, Russia. Here we are today, as you look at this graph, with, last year alone, 155 launches into space, 93 from the Kennedy Space Center in my home district. We are well on our way toward space dominance, and we are not slowing down. In 2025 alone, 26 additional flights have left our skies and, of course, are orbiting around our world today, providing the telecommunications necessary not only for commercial use but for military use, as well, to make sure that our men and women are protected when GPS is essential. Tonight, we will have yet another launch into the sky as SpaceX is propelling this movement forward. As we recognize, space is important for our economy, infrastructure, and national defense. It enables modern life, from powering GPS communications to weather forecasting, artificial limb technology, solar cells, fire-resistant fabrics, and even medical imaging and biotechnology.…”