Aerospace puts Colorado on the map

In May when NASA announced the finalists in its COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation Service) request for proposals, one Boulder company stood and cheered.

Starsys Inc., a subsidiary of SpaceDev Inc., is one of six contenders to build the $500 million system that will provide commercial transportation services to and from the International Space Station.

“It was really a direct result of our merger,´ said SpaceDev Chief Executive Mark Sirangelo, who works in the Boulder office. Poway, Calif.-based SpaceDev Inc. (OTCBB: SPDV) bought Starsys last October.

“Individually, none of us would be able to show the strength” to complete such a large…