Colorado's aerospace industry is playing an outsize role in tomorrow's Artemis II mission — a high-stakes crewed test flight for NASA's return to the Moon.

Why it matters: Florida may get the glory for hosting the launch, but Colorado's status as a hub for space innovation stands to get a boost from the mission's ripple effects.

Zoom in: Lockheed Martin has based Orion — Artemis' spacecraft system and crew capsule — in Colorado since the early 2000s, and Artemis II supports more than 600 Colorado employees and 400-plus in-state suppliers — about half of them small businesses.

Those firms built everything from high-tech avionics to mission-critical hardware such as brackets.

• Boulder's BAE Systems developed the phased array antenna, a critical communications system integrated into the Orion spacecraft.
• Meanwhile, Longmont's Honeybee Robotics (a subsidiary of Blue Origin) supplied the mechanism that opens the craft's side hatch.

"Programs like Orion provide a solid footprint for other [aerospace] companies in the state to grow," Paul Benfield, the Lockheed Martin Artemis II mission manager, tells Axios.

By the numbers: Colorado ranks No. 1 nationally in per capita aerospace employment.

• More than 2,000 aerospace companies operate in the state.
• The industry employs 55,000 people directly and another 184,000 indirectly.
• It generates $15 billion annually in Colorado — up more than 26% over the past five years.

Catch up quick: If all goes as planned, Artemis II will send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day mission around the Moon to test Orion, NASA's Space Launch System rocket and mission operations.

• It won't land, but the mission will mark the first time humans have traveled to the Moon's vicinity since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Behind the scenes: Lockheed will have an engineering support team at its high-fidelity Integrated Test Lab in Littleton throughout the Artemis mission to run real-time "what if" scenarios in case NASA's Houston-based control center needs extra analysis or advice.

The bottom line

The Regional Transportation District (RTD) board of directors could shrink by nearly half under a new proposal from state lawmakers aiming to overhaul the troubled agency.

Why it matters: RTD has struggled for years with safety concerns, slumping ridership and unreliable service across the eight Front Range counties it serves — and lawmakers argue its 15-member board is too large to fix those problems efficiently or effectively.

State of play: Bill co-sponsors state Sens. Matt Ball (D-Denver) and Iman Jodeh (D-Aurora) said yesterday the measure would cut the board to nine members in an attempt to improve accountability and accelerate decision-making.

• RTD's board is nearly half the size of the state Senate, which Ball said makes consensus and oversight difficult. A smaller board could result in a more "nimble" operation that acts faster and more proactively, he added.

Between the lines: The proposal would also raise salaries and shift power toward the governor, who would appoint four of the nine members.

What's next: The board will review the bill to determine its impacts on the policymaking body and its customers, RTD spokesperson Tina Jaquez said in a statement.

• If approved, the changes would apply to the 2028 board elections, and would require redrawing current district maps for RTD.

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Earlier this month, James Beard-nominated Poulette Bakeshop fired up its ovens and debuted a newly doubled footprint just off Mainstreet in Parker.

Why it matters: Their expanded space means more of their crave-worthy treats — plus room to sit, stay and savor.

Catch up quick: Owners and spouses Alen Ramos and Carolyn Nugent launched the bakery from their home kitchen in 2020, then moved into a commercial space in Parker in late 2021, building a loyal following for their breads, pastries and confections.

• The trek to Parker is well worth it to sample everything from delicate macarons to super-seeded bagels.

What's next: Expect Axios' newest reporter, Robert Sanchez (see above), to spotlight food, aerospace and local life in Denver's southeast suburbs — and beyond — very soon.