Washington's space industry now has a direct line to the governor's office. Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order Monday, Sept. 28, creating a 23-member state council aimed at keeping the state competitive in a sector that already employs more than 13,000 workers.

The Washington Space Council, first reported by GeekWire, was announced at the Museum of Flight during the kickoff of Seattle Space Week, a weeklong celebration organized by the industry group Space Northwest.

Ferguson said the state has more than 90 space companies generating over $4 billion in annual economic activity and $1.6 billion in annual payroll. The council's job: identify barriers to growth, boost workforce development, improve infrastructure and explore the possibility of Washington-based commercial launch capabilities.

"States like Florida and Texas and Colorado want this industry, and they want it bad. … Washington has every advantage it needs to lead them all, and the window to use those advantages is open right now," Stoke Space co-founder and CEO Andy Lapsa told the crowd.

Stoke Space, based in Kent, raised roughly $1 billion in September to prepare for the first launch of its fully reusable Nova Pathfinder rocket, GeekWire reported. The company has about 400 employees and operates a 168,000-square-foot factory.

The council draws from across the industry. Members include Michael Edmonds, senior vice president of Blue Origin in Kent; Colin Doughan, co-founder and CEO of Gravitics; Austin Link, co-founder and CEO of Starfish Space; and Cornelia Rosu, senior director of Starlink production at SpaceX's Redmond facility.

Labor has seats as well. Jason Chan, district president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751, and Ray Goforth, executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), are both on the roster.

The University of Washington's Mehran Mesbahi, who chairs the William E. Boeing Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, announced plans for a new certificate program in space systems. UW's Husky Satellite Lab, a student group focused on space careers, is already active on campus.

The Washington State Department of Commerce will staff the council, which will deliver advisory reports to the governor. No deadline for the first report has been announced.

Ferguson closed the signing with a bit of theater. He brought 10-year-old audience member Sebastian Yu to the stage and handed him the signing pen, telling Yu to bring it to Washington's first commercial launch someday.

Seattle Space Week runs through Sunday, Oct. 4. The Space Northwest Symposium continues Tuesday, Sept. 29, at the Federal Way Performing Arts & Event Center.