[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 81 (Tuesday, May 11, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S2444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING SPACE TANGO

 Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate 
Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize 
an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American 
entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize 
Space Tango of Lexington, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
  Growing up on a family farm outside Bardstown, Twyman Clements loved 
building and launching model rockets with his three brothers. His 
passion for innovation and engineering led him to the University of 
Kentucky, UK, where he earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering. As 
a graduate student at UK, Twyman worked with Kentucky Space, a 
nonprofit consortium of universities and public and private groups 
supporting space entrepreneurship. At the time, Kentucky Space was 
using miniature satellites called cubesats to conduct experiments on 
the International Space Station. Realizing the need to simplify and 
reduce the cost of spacebased research and development, R&D, Twyman 
founded Space Tango in 2015.
  Today, Space Tango is a thriving small business enabling R&D and 
manufacturing in zero gravity. Since 2017, thanks to a National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Space Act Agreement, Space 
Tango provides facilities on the International Space Station U.S. 
National Laboratory. Their CubeLabs generate scalable and efficient 
research and manufacturing in microgravity. Space Tango has worked with 
several commercial partners, including Anheuser-Busch and LambaVision. 
They regularly partner with educational institutions such as the 
University of Florida, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston 
University.
  Over the years, local and national organizations have recognized 
Space Tango's groundbreaking work. Twyman was inducted into the 
Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2017, and ranked No. 25 on Fast 
Company's list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018. Jim 
Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator, visited Space Tango in 2020, 
commending their biomedical research and manufacturing capabilities. In 
addition to working on projects for various Federal agencies, Space 
Tango won three NASA Utilization Awards for Low Earth Orbit of 
Biomedical Applications. Looking forward, Space Tango is developing ST-
42, an autonomous manufacturing facility for advanced materials and 
biomedical devices located in Earth's orbit.
  Notably, Space Tango is committed to investing in the next generation 
of innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Twyman and his colleagues 
regularly host and present at educational events at Kentucky schools, 
universities, and scientific institutions. Space Tango's robust 
internship program includes students from Kentucky's universities and 
colleges across the country, with several former interns joining their 
team.
  Space Tango is a testament to Kentucky innovation, ingenuity, and 
industry. Small businesses like Space Tango form a critical part of 
American's domestic manufacturing base and play a unique role educating 
the next generation of Kentucky engineers and entrepreneurs. 
Congratulations to Twyman and the entire team at Space Tango. I wish 
them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued 
growth and success in Kentucky and beyond.

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