I want to know if there is anyway to keep my WatchKit app running in the background, or if I can possibly program it to launch (i.e. transfer from inactive state to active s
Not possible. Because Apple Document for watchkit
clearly mentions that "WatchKit extensions do not support background execution modes,they run only while the user is interacting with the corresponding app on Apple Watch.".
You can refer apple document Link to Apple Doc
Read Communicating Directly with Your Containing iOS App.