By Katherine Dudzik Smith
Opportunity in Yuma
Spaceports both represent and impact their surrounding communities.
Yuma, Arizona, is one of the latest communities to embark on the new era of space travel, recently filing a spaceport application with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In its submission, Yuma encourages stakeholders to think big and capitalize on the desert climate. Yuma is poised for research, merging low-water-use agriculture, satellites and space technology.
Collectively, Yuma Spaceport signifies an opportunity to build a sustainable and resilient future, bringing together the right minds and the right mission for space exploration. Our partners include Arizona State University (ASU), global professional services firm HDR Inc., the Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation and local leaders. The goal is to create a forward-looking model for spaceport development where community, education, industry and innovation converge.
Engaging Top Minds
The Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation sees academia as a source of creativity and engagement. Leaders will work with ASU students from the ∆V Studio (pronounced “Delta V”) for the Spring 2026 semester to help the community envision and plan the spaceport. ∆V Studio, a group I am proud to support with experts from HDR’s architecture practice and through grants and knowledge sharing, is an architecture studio based in the design school at ASU. The class offers sixth-year architecture graduate students a real-world opportunity to shape the future.
Community at the Core
For the first half of the semester, ∆V Studio will engage with Yuma community stakeholders to help develop the community master plan. The students will be guided by best practices learned by our architects and engineers at HDR, currently working on spaceports in other locations, to build in sustainability for long-term resilience. Since Yuma presents a unique setting, the students will design for Yuma’s distinct needs and character at the core.
Low Earth Orbit and Beyond
For the second half of the semester, students will design a prototype of a commercial space astronaut training facility. This facility will be the type needed in the new space industry, with applications on space stations and the lunar surface in the near future. Not only does this bring new ideas to Yuma, but it also helps students gain a better understanding of the trajectory of industry and the needs of spaceports.
Blueprint for Future Spaceports
This initiative offers a model for other spaceports to follow. The intentional collaboration among ASU, HDR, Yuma Spaceport and local economic organizations illustrates the path to progress and social unity.
As the demand for workforce and infrastructure grows globally, this road map combines academic research, professional expertise, policy engagement and public trust. The Global Spaceport Alliance sees this effort as a valuable case study for emerging and established spaceports alike.
The Yuma partnership is dedicated to creating spaceports as community assets that is built for and with the people they support. Participants are designing more than a spaceport. They are shaping a future that is inclusive, forward-thinking and inspiring. In a world reaching toward the stars, Yuma offers a grounded and visionary example of what we can achieve together.
Katherine Dudzik Smith, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, NCARB, is a senior design architect at HDR in Phoenix and an instructor of architecture at the Design School at Arizona State University.
Want to know more about the power of academic partnerships with spaceports and their communities?
Spaceports thrive when they’re supported by strong academic ecosystems that serve the full talent lifecycle from early STEM education to workforce development and ongoing professional training. This webinar explores how strategic partnerships with universities, community colleges, and K–12 institutions are driving long-term success for spaceports and their surrounding communities.
ABOUT GLOBAL SPACEPORT ALLIANCE
Established in 2015, the Global Spaceport Alliance has become the largest network of spaceports in the world. Members include spaceport operators, suppliers, and government and academic entities involved in the commercial space sector. GSA offers members timely access to information, the ability to engage with key decision makers, and the opportunity to participate in working groups targeting specific areas of interest to the spaceport ecosystem.
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