Yuma competes for $160 million grant to launch inland spaceport

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Several local Arizona state lawmakers sent a letter asking for Yuma to be the next U.S. commerical spaceport.

Local Arizona State Representatives Michele Peña and Tim Dunn from Yuma support this collaboration and encourage its selection, and the City of Yuma says the project could bring jobs, businesses, and innovation to the area.

The City of Yuma is competing for a $160 million federal grant to build Arizona's first commercial spaceport.

Representative Justin Wilmeth says this project aligns with the nations priorities for space exploration and economic growth.

Yuma's City Administrator Jay Simonton says this spaceport will be the first of its kind: "The other ones here in the United States are controlled by the federal government, so this would be the first privately operated spaceport."

If approved, the spaceport will serve companies trying to complete testing, expand operations, and create new jobs.

"It's gonna open up a lot of doors and we're getting a lot of interest from research companies, rocket companies, defense contractors...All other them wanting to use this as a place to do their research and grow their workforce," Simonton added.

One local says is something the community needs right now: "I think that the community really could use more jobs and a different variety of jobs for the people here."

Simonton says there is still more work to be done until we could possibly see rocket launches in Yuma.

"Right now, we're going through the environmental process, and that will probably take another eight to 12 months depending on how that goes. Then, it's the construction, the infrastructure. Probably the earliest we'd see a rocket launch out of Yuma will be sometime in 2026," Simonton shared.