4 Alaska Native Corporations Connected With Space

In the state of Alaska, there are four Alaska Native corporations that are now connected with the space industry.  These fall into the “Institution” section of the space industry and each corporation has its own unique connection.  These four corporations, which are Tyonek Native Corporation, Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), Aleut Corporation, and Calista Corporation, are leading the way for Alaska Natives to step into the space industry.

To gain a better understanding of how the three corporations are making strides in the Alaskan space industry, we can investigate what they’re doing

Tyonek Native Corporation - Anchorage, AK

Tyonek Native Corporation has footings in the space industry through manufacturing, aviation and logistics support, research and development, cybersecurity, and mission support services.  The work is done through subsidiary companies and is based near bigger space hubs like Huntsville, AL.  The work done by Tyonek is primarily through federal contract work.

https://www.tyonek.com/

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC) - Utqiaġvik, AK

ASRC has footings in the space industry through research and development, launch operations, on-orbit operations, systems engineering, mechanical testing, and program management.  The majority of this work is done through a subsidiary company called ASRC Federal, which deals with federal contract work. In May 2025, ASRC Federal was awarded a contract with NASA for the Program Analysis and Control Bridge Contract has a total potential value up to $98 million with a 13-month period of performance beginning Saturday, May 24, 2025.

https://www.asrc.com/

Aleut Corporation - Aleutians

Aleut Corporation is the regional corporation for the Aleutian region with headquarters located in Anchorage, AK.  It has new footings in the space industry due to a new partnership with SpinLaunch.  SpinLaunch uses a high-speed spinning accelerator to launch satellites and payloads.  As of April 2025, Aleut Corporation announced its partnership with SpinLaunch, set to be built on Adak.  This location would be utilized to launch satellites into low-earth orbit (LEO).

https://aleutcorp.com/

Calista Corporation - Bethel, AK

Calista Corporation has its footings in the space industry through a few subsidiary companies, but mainly through Yulista which deals with manufacturing, logistics, technical services, cybersecurity, engineering, mission support, and base operations support for the aviation, aerospace, defense, and civilian industries.  Yulista is based out of Huntsville, AL where the space industry is more prominent.

https://www.calistacorp.com/

With the recent agreement between Alaska Aerospace and University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute to transform Poker Flat into a second spaceport, will we see these native corporations start seeking more work within the state to build a stronger space industry?  Will other native corporations begin taking steps into the space industry?

It would be interesting to see what sort of development would come from a small percentage of funding set aside to be awarded towards developing space industry within the native community, similar to Canada. In Canada, 5% of the total space budget is set aside for funding Canadian Native space-related ventures. If the United States adopted a similar policy, it may see an increase in growth, higher education, and economic development from the native peoples, not just limited to Alaska.