SE Valley Times

More than 150 leaders from academia, business, and government gathered in Tempe for the Arizona Space Summit on March 27-28. The event aimed to position Arizona as a key player in the space sector.

Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona organized the summit with support from the Arizona Commerce Authority, Arizona Technology Council, and Greater Phoenix Economic Council. ASU President Michael Crow emphasized innovative thinking for meeting commercial space sector needs. “We’re decidedly uninterested in building something anyone has ever built in the past,” Crow stated.

Jim Bell, professor and director of ASU’s NewSpace Initiative, highlighted Arizona's significant concentration of space professionals. “There is no greater or more impactful concentration of space science and engineering professionals in the world than in the state of Arizona,” Bell said.

The summit included discussions on topics such as economic development through commercial low Earth orbit research and learning from leading space hubs. Panels also addressed workforce diversity challenges within the space industry. Janeya Griffin led a panel on workforce innovation, stressing diversity in hiring practices.

David Cela from Raytheon noted that future workers need to think creatively. "It’s not necessarily a skill set," he explained. "It’s more about having an open mind."

Kyle Squires of ASU discussed creating impactful learning structures for students entering the workforce early. Mark Van Dyke of the University of Arizona stressed broadening access to engineering programs.

Eric Sundby from Space Force Association emphasized regional approaches to developing a sustainable space economy. Alires Alman moderated a discussion highlighting efforts by states like Texas to attract government space activity.

Governor Katie Hobbs assured companies that “Arizona is open for business.” She pointed out existing initiatives like Future 48 Workforce Accelerators aimed at preparing Arizonans for careers in aerospace and defense sectors.

Hobbs noted that Arizona ranks high nationally for guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing employment and remains committed to fostering collaboration across various sectors to advance its role in the space industry.