A renewed effort is underway in Yuma, Arizona to build a comprehensive and high-tech spaceport.
The project, which will need the approval of the Federal Aviation Administration, has been in the talking stage for at least six years, or since a grant was secured by the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation to do a feasibility study.
City officials have said that the vast desert terrain surrounding Yuma would be perfect for a spaceport that would serve small rockets carrying communications satellites.
But now, animating the movement, is the recent relaunch of the Arizona Space Commission by Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs, which is dedicated to identifying and supporting aerospace economic and educational projects throughout the state.
Additionally, helping the effort is the announcement made late last year by the National Science Foundation naming Yuma as a finalist in its Regional Innovation Engines program.
Yuma hopes to have an approval application submitted to the FAA by the end of this year.
March 31, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
