Why Michigan
Michigan Space Technologies was founded in Michigan, built around Michigan values, and inspired by the belief that this state should have a direct role in the next era of space access.
For more than a century, Michigan helped define American industry. Detroit and the broader Michigan manufacturing ecosystem did more than build cars; they built supply chains, production discipline, engineering culture, skilled trades, advanced materials capability, and the belief that complex machines could be designed, tested, manufactured, and improved at scale. That same industrial DNA is exactly what the space economy needs now.
The future of space will not be built by launch vehicles alone. It will require manufacturing, mobility systems, automation, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, logistics, testing, workforce training, infrastructure, and operational discipline. Those are Michigan strengths.
MiST wants to stay in Michigan because Michigan makes sense. It has the manufacturing legacy, the engineering base, the defense and aerospace ecosystem, the university talent pipeline, the industrial workforce, and the cultural identity of building things that matter. Space access should not be limited to the coasts. Michigan has the capability to become a serious contributor to the space economy, and MiST believes that future should be built here.
Spaceport Michigan: Building Michigan’s Gateway to Space
MiST’s long-term vision includes establishing a Michigan-based aerospace operations hub at K.I. Sawyer, the former Air Force base and current aviation asset in Marquette County.
K.I. Sawyer is a uniquely compelling location because it already carries the history, scale, and infrastructure of a major aviation site. It is not a blank piece of wilderness that would need to be carved into something new. It is a former military airbase with existing aviation infrastructure, an established airport presence, and a community that understands both the opportunity and the responsibility that comes with redevelopment.
That matters.
A future spaceport, aerospace test center, launch-support hub, or advanced aerospace operations campus at K.I. Sawyer could create a new economic engine for the Upper Peninsula while respecting the character of the region. This would not be about importing an outside identity into Marquette County. It would be about building on what already exists: aviation infrastructure, regional pride, technical capability, and a community that has already lived through the rise, closure, and redevelopment of a major federal aviation installation.
Why K.I. Sawyer
K.I. Sawyer represents one of Michigan’s clearest opportunities to connect existing infrastructure with the future space economy.
The site has history. It has scale. It has aviation roots. It has room to support phased development. It has a regional identity tied to service, resilience, and reinvention. Most importantly, it sits in a part of Michigan that understands land, community, and stewardship in a way that cannot be ignored.
MiST views K.I. Sawyer not simply as a potential operating site, but as a place where Michigan can make a statement: that the future of aerospace can be built responsibly, regionally, and with respect for local communities.
A spaceport effort at K.I. Sawyer could support:
- high-quality technical and engineering jobs
- aerospace manufacturing and assembly work
- research and development activity
- testing and demonstration programs
- supply chain opportunities for Michigan businesses
- internships, apprenticeships, and workforce development
- university and high school STEM partnerships
- tourism and public engagement tied to space and innovation
- new reasons for young technical talent to stay in or return to Michigan
- long-term private investment in the Upper Peninsula
The goal is not just to launch vehicles. The goal is to build an ecosystem.
Economic Importance to Michigan
Michigan has an opportunity to participate in one of the fastest-growing sectors of the global economy: space infrastructure.
The space economy touches communications, transportation, national security, weather, agriculture, logistics, Earth observation, manufacturing, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, and future human exploration. States that invest early in aerospace infrastructure are positioning themselves for long-term economic growth.
A Michigan spaceport initiative could help the state compete for new business, federal funding, commercial partnerships, research programs, defense opportunities, workforce development grants, and private investment. It would also give Michigan a powerful story to tell: the state that put the world on wheels is helping build the systems that move humanity beyond Earth.
That story matters for economic development. It matters for talent attraction. It matters for keeping young people excited about building their future in Michigan. It matters for showing investors, agencies, and industry partners that Michigan is not only proud of its manufacturing past, but ready to lead in the industries of the future.
For the Upper Peninsula specifically, a responsible aerospace development effort could create durable economic opportunities without erasing the identity of the region. It could bring technical jobs, educational pathways, supplier opportunities, hospitality activity, construction activity, and national attention while preserving what makes the U.P. special.
Why We Can Do It Responsibly
MiST understands that the Upper Peninsula is not just a place on a map. It is a culture.
The U.P. is tight-knit, independent, practical, and deeply connected to its natural beauty. People there care about the land, the water, the forests, the quiet, the way of life, and the communities that have held together through difficult economic transitions. Any serious project in the region has to begin with respect.
That respect is personal for MiST’s founder, Joshua L. Mehay.
Joshua has been going to the Upper Peninsula his entire life. His family has a cabin there. The U.P. is not an abstract development target or a convenient location for a proposal. It is a place he knows, loves, and respects. He understands that people in the region do not want outsiders coming in, making promises, disrupting the environment, and leaving the community to deal with the consequences.
That is not what Spaceport Michigan is meant to be.
The vision is to build carefully, transparently, and in partnership with the region. That means listening first. It means working with local officials, community leaders, residents, educational institutions, environmental stakeholders, and businesses. It means using existing infrastructure where possible instead of disturbing untouched land. It means creating opportunity without treating the U.P. as expendable. It means building something that local people can be proud of, not something forced onto them.
A Michigan-First Space Future
MiST wants to stay in Michigan because this is where the company belongs.
Michigan has the manufacturing strength. The U.P. has the site potential. Marquette County has the aviation history. K.I. Sawyer has the infrastructure legacy. The state has the workforce, universities, suppliers, and industrial culture needed to support a serious aerospace future.
Spaceport Michigan would not just be a MiST project. It would be a Michigan project.
It would create a focal point for the state’s space ambitions. It would show students that aerospace careers do not require leaving Michigan. It would give manufacturers a new frontier. It would give the Upper Peninsula a chance to participate in a high-growth industry while maintaining its identity. It would give state leaders a bold economic development story rooted in both innovation and place.
Michigan built the machines that changed the last century.
Now Michigan has a chance to help build the systems that open the next one.
Spaceport Michigan is about more than launch. It is about keeping talent here, building industry here, honoring the Upper Peninsula, and giving Michigan a permanent place in the future of space.