The Space Gold Rush: Miami — Why South Florida Is the New Frontier for Horizontal Launch, Clean Energy & Space Infrastructure

I was 13 years old when I went to NASA Space Camp. I had absolutely no idea it would lead to this.

This Tuesday, April 20-21, I will be on stage at Startup OLE Miami 26 for The Space Gold Rush: Miami panel at the James L. Knight Center — 6:30 PM. And I am genuinely honored to be a part of it.

The Panel: Visionaries Building Miami Space Future

South Florida is emerging as a powerhouse in the global space economy — and this panel brings together the leaders driving that transformation. I am honored to share the stage with Todd Tindall of MS2 Ventures, Samuel Joseph of Magna Petra, Phil Ehr of U.S. Congress, Ane Krstevska of Aerospace Staffing, and moderated by Lorna Ceaser.

Horizontal Launch: The Infrastructure Play Nobody Talks About

Horizontal launch changes the equation entirely. No vertical tower. No blast radius. A runway, a spaceplane, and the right power infrastructure behind it. Florida is one of the few places on Earth with the geography, the regulatory environment, and the emerging spaceport ecosystem to make this a reality at scale.

Clean, Green Energy: The Foundation of the New Space Race

The new space race does not run on ambition alone. It runs on power — clean power, green power, reliable power that is ready when the mission demands it. At Data Power Supply, we build the end-to-end power backbone that makes launch-ready facilities, AI data centers, and orbital ground infrastructure possible. No grid dependency. No waitlists. Utility-scale deployment on your timeline, with green energy solutions built in from day one.

Massive Job Creation for South Florida

This is not just about rockets and satellites. The build-out of a true space economy in South Florida means thousands of high-quality jobs — engineering, construction, operations, logistics, workforce training. It means cutting-edge technology transferred into the local economy. It means a generation of young people in Miami growing up with a space industry in their backyard.

A Call to the Biggest and Best: Join This Effort

Miami is becoming something genuinely special. We are actively looking for the biggest and best companies in the world to join this effort — to invest, to build, to partner, and to make South Florida the undisputed center of excellence in the new space race. If that is you, come find me Tuesday.

Thirteen-year-old me would have a lot to say right now. I will keep it simple — grateful for the journey, honored to be in the room, and excited for what we are building together.

— Jimmy Hayes, Founder & CMO, Data Power Supply