Florida Senate - 2026                            (NP)    SR 1780
       
       
        
       By Senator Wright
       
       
       
       
       
       8-02178-26                                            20261780__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution designating February 3, 2026, as “Space
    3         Day” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Florida has been known as the birthplace of
    6  American space exploration since the first space launch from its
    7  shores more than 75 years ago, is home to the nation’s space
    8  program, and has served as a portal to remarkable scientific
    9  innovation and imagination, and
   10         WHEREAS, Florida continues to play a critical role in
   11  pioneering new frontiers in spaceflight as well as leading in
   12  the discovery of viable pathways into space, and
   13         WHEREAS, more than 144,500 Floridians work in Florida’s
   14  aviation and aerospace industries as rocket scientists,
   15  machinists, pilots, engineers, and other important roles, and
   16         WHEREAS, Florida recorded a record-breaking 109 orbital
   17  rocket launches from the Space Coast in 2025, transporting more
   18  than 2,100 payloads, and
   19         WHEREAS, Florida has long been the world’s gateway to space
   20  and continues to be the epicenter of innovation, opportunity,
   21  and economic expansion in the aerospace industry with its three
   22  spaceports solidifying the state’s advantage, and
   23         WHEREAS, the nation is witnessing the rapid growth and
   24  expansion of its commercial space transportation industry and,
   25  during the next decade, Florida has the opportunity to broaden
   26  its leadership in civilian and military launch activity, while
   27  also emerging as the nation’s leader in commercial space
   28  opportunities and the integration of space, aeronautics, and
   29  aviation technologies, including hypersonic technologies, a
   30  vision that, if realized, will position Florida for sustained
   31  economic growth and prosperity for decades to come, and
   32         WHEREAS, Florida’s top-tier universities prepare future
   33  leaders and engineers for the aerospace and defense ecosystems,
   34  cultivating a world-class workforce for these highly technical
   35  fields and sending more than 4,800 engineering graduates into
   36  the workforce annually, and
   37         WHEREAS, with robust military installations that include
   38  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast
   39  Guard bases, Florida’s aviation and aerospace industries play a
   40  key role in national defense, flight training, and research, and
   41  it is the only state with three distinct combatant commands
   42  supporting national security missions across the globe, NOW,
   43  THEREFORE,
   44  
   45  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   46  
   47         That February 3, 2026, is designated as “Space Day” in
   48  Florida.