Hawaii and Alaska officials came together today at the state Capitol to sign a memorandum of understanding outlining the states’ plans to join forces on aerospace activities serving the Pacific region.

The two states “are geographically situated to provide rapid, focused, and cost-effective aerospace services,” a Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development press release says. 

Hawaii for its part is strategically located, has Moon- and Mars-like terrain, is home to a cohort of aerospace experts and maintains long-standing ties with Asia-Pacific countries that invest in space exploration. 

Alaska, through the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, owns and operates its own spaceport complex.

The agreement comes on the heels of Act 169, which was signed into law by Gov. Neil Abercrombie last June and gave the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism oversight of the state’s space exploration endeavors. Soon after, he released $275,000 in capital improvement funds to plan and prepare for state aerospace projects.

Photo: The Milky Way. Courtesy of indeliblemistakes via Flickr.

— Alia Wong