eSpace: The Center for Space Entrepreneurship, a non-profit business incubator and workforce development organization for aerospace start-up companies, has announced its third round call for new incubator candidates for the eSpace Incubator program.

Current participants and alumni include creators of the flying hybrid, a Google Lunar X PRIZE contestant, an Inventor of the Year, and other entrepreneurs advancing the commercialization of space technologies and supporting the development of a workforce to fuel their growth..

The latest call for participants demonstrates the growing interest in commercial space ventures, as well as the success of eSpace Incubator participants and alumni.

Interest in commercial space transportation is burgeoning, fueled by companies such as Virgin Galactic, Armadillo Aerospace, Bigelow Aerospace, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada Corporation's Space Systems Group, the eSpace partner company run by Mark Sirangelo, chairman of the eSpace board of directors.

Meanwhile, federal and state government organizations are working to make public space flight a reality with projects such as New Mexico's Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.

Within this thriving space entrepreneurial environment, the eSpace Incubator is cultivating companies that are making tremendous strides toward commercializing space technologies, with accomplishments such as:

The Flying Hybrid - Spun out of the University of Colorado, TIGON EnerTec designs, builds and integrates hybrid propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft. The technology may also be applied to manned aviation, as well as marine and land transportation.

Google Lunar X PRIZE contender - Next Giant Leap (NGL) is one of the leading contenders in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a $30M contest challenging space entrepreneurs to land a small spacecraft on the moon, maneuver it and send back data.

Inventor of the Year - Based in part on his work on TIGON's hybrid engine, Professor Jean Koster was named CU-Boulder New Inventor of the Year.

Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants and contracts - Blue Canyon Technologies won two Air Force Research Laboratory SBIR grants. ACTA Technologies earned a National Science Foundation SBIR grant. Zybek Advanced Products won both phase 1 and phase 2 NASA SBIRs. And NGL earned a NASA Innovative Lunar Data Demonstrations contract worth up to $10M.

"eSpace serves as the liaison among industry, government and academia to develop aerospace into a more agile, entrepreneurial industry," said Diane Dimeff, executive director for eSpace.

"The success of the eSpace Incubator and its programs demonstrates the growing interest in space entrepreneurship and an investment in the industry's workforce. Studies show that in the next 10 years, we'll lose 50 percent of our workforce to retirements, and we're committed to revitalizing the workforce that will bring our space entrepreneurs' visions to life."