Political Science chair featured in Orlando Sentinel

Dr. Roger Handberg was recently featured in an article for the Orlando Sentinel.

The article reads,

“The clouds are darkest over the Space Coast, as the U.S. space agency and its private subcontractors continue to shed thousands of shuttle-related jobs in Brevard County. The losses, which began last year, are rippling through the local economy, from restaurants and retailers to doctors and dry cleaners.

The nascent commercial-space business has shown potential — SpaceX, for example, successfully launched a rocket from Cape Canaveral last month — such ventures may never pack the economic punch in Central Florida that NASA did at its peak.

‘I would assume we will become successful at enticing the private launch industry to locate and work in Central Florida,” said Roger Handberg, a space-policy expert at the University of Central Florida. “But their business models involve a minimal work force. So that’s not going to return Central Florida and the Space Coast to the good old days.'”

To read the full article titled “Outlook cloudy for defense, space companies” click here.