But if we’ve looked at years, we actually haven’t made as much progress as we would like. And the challenge that we have is we know that to maintain our ability to be innovative, we’ve got to have a more diverse workforce. Everything from Webb telescope, exploring Mars, it couldn’t be more exciting. You know, today is literally the most exciting time to be in the space program. Steve Isakowitz: Yeah, fact, it’s worth giving a little background on it. How’s it work? Lots of interns from minority backgrounds, that’s the goal? The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.ĭavid Brancaccio: There’s some big names attached to this initiative: your company, I see SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab. Marketplace’s David Brancaccio spoke with Steve Isakowitz, president and CEO of the Aerospace Corp., about his company’s role in the industry’s pivot toward diversity. government, said his previous internship at Aerospace “was such an empowering experience to see people in very high positions that looked like me … and having someone that I could talk to that understands my experience and what it’s like to be an African-American in space.” Hunter Mack, an incoming intern at the Aerospace Corp., a California-based nonprofit that, among other things, does national security research for the U.S. The 30 participating companies include big names like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, SpaceX and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

One part of the initiative was a commitment to bring on 3,000 paid summer interns from diverse backgrounds by 2030.

About a year ago, some of the biggest space players came together to form the Space Workforce 2030 program, with the goal of promoting diversity in the incoming crop of workers. The explosion in the commercial space industry sparked demand for talent to fill a slew of tech jobs, especially highly trained engineers and technical staff. Companies compete, but sometimes industries can come together.

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