MARQUETTE AND L'ANSE, MI— Two Upper Peninsula projects will receive a portion of $23 million in state funding to advance aerospace technology and improve port infrastructure.
The money comes from the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund. It’s designed to give projects the matching dollars they need to secure federal investment.
KMI Space of Marquette has been awarded $3.5 million to finalize development, design and operations of the Laelaps spacecraft, a vehicle designed to rendezvous with, retrieve, and relocate satellites in orbit. The spacecraft will extend the life of existing satellites and reduce the cost and frequency of replacements.
KMI Space is expected to create 60 additional jobs at its Marquette facility. The project leverages $34 million from the Strategic Funding Increase program through SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force.
The Village of L’Anse will receive $700,000 to reconstruct and extend the existing quay at L’Anse Port to accommodate larger vessels and heavy equipment, allowing the port to serve as the receiving point for stamps and materials for the copper extraction site in Gay. This investment will enable Quincy Materials Corporation to process 1.5 million to 2 million tons per year of legacy copper mine tailings into copper concentrate and supplementary cementitious materials.
The project has the potential to leverage $11.25 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, along with additional investments from business and shipping interests at the port.
