SpaceX Could Create Thousands of Florida Jobs [+Video]

SpaceX is scheduled to launch their Dragon Capsule on May 7th from Titusville, Florida. 

This histroic launch will not only be "one giant step" for private development in space, but a chance for Florida to capitalize on a new industry and attract jobs.

For background, SpaceX will plans to launch its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket, targeted for May 7. During the mission, Dragon’s sensors and flight systems will undergo a series of tests to determine if the vehicle is ready dock with the space station. If NASA decides it is prepared, the vehicle will attach to the station and astronauts will open Dragon’s hatch and unload the cargo on board.

This represents the first attempt by a commercial company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, something previously performed only governments. But, this historic launch will not only be "one giant step" for private development in space, but a chance for Florida to capitalize on a new industry and attract jobs.

"We have been solely, and only, a launch site,"said Lynda Weatherman, the president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast. "We want to bring more research and development here and more assembly work." 

As the private sector expands into space industries, Florida can use its launch site to attract companies to the state.

This is great development for Florida, since it lost somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 jobs due to the cancellation of the NASA space shuttle program. As SpaceX, and other companies like it, grow to replace and eventually surpass their government predecessors, they will have the potential to create many new jobs for Florida.