In 1869, the rails from the East and West met at Promontory Summit, creating the Transcontinental Railroad and forever establishing Utah as the Crossroads of the West. Yesterday, 157 years later, we celebrated another historic journey as a Northrop Grumman solid rocket booster for NASA’s Artemis III mission departed Utah, to travel across the country on Union Pacific rail lines on its way to help return Americans to the Moon.
Growing up in Hooper on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, I could hear rockets testing across Bear River Bay. Watching space shuttle launches on television as a kid, I felt real pride knowing the boosters were built right here in Utah.
There's something remarkable about the fact that in our backyard, Northrop Grumman builds the rocket boosters, NASA launches the missions, and Union Pacific helps transport these massive components to their destination.
Moments like this don't happen without generations of hardworking Americans. I'm grateful for the vision and sacrifice of our forefathers and foremothers who built the railroads, industries, and communities that made opportunities like this possible.
As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, I hope that 250 years from now, people will look back and say we helped lay the groundwork for their success. That’s how we continue to build the American Dream – not just for ourselves, but for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come.