Arizona Space Congress meeting sparks beginning of ‘orbital economy’ advancement in state

PHOENIX — The recent successful mission of Artemis II flying by the Moon (April 1 to April 11) has the United States firmly back in a space race, and that momentum continued Wednesday at the 2026 Arizona Space Congress.

The meeting helped statewide leaders coordinate strategies on energy creation, workforce development and more, Space Rising co-founder Taryn Struck told KTAR News’ Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday.

“It was a remarkable day bringing together all the sectors from across the state to talk about this next layer of the global economy, which is what we call the orbital economy,” Struck said. “It’s going to require everyone to be part of building this.”

Phoenix hosted the 2026 Arizona Space Congress on Wednesday.

Leaders gathered to talk about the future of Arizona space, and Taryn Struck, co-founder of Space Rising, joined @AZMorningNews to give us all the details. pic.twitter.com/dpJj3ADZtM

— KTAR News 92.3 (@KTAR923) May 1, 2026

Struck highlighted how the collaborative meeting, which featured four breakout sessions, also addressed ways to include the next generation in the new-age economy.

“That’s where we’re at, getting them interested in STEM (education) at a younger age,” Struck said.

The installation of space ports was touched upon on Wednesday at Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix. Struck said the growing semiconductor industry in Arizona is one of several that “cross-pollinates” what goes into ports, which signify “the final loop … on our infrastructure.”

Both Yuma and Sierra Vista representatives were in attendance, as Struck said each city has been developing plans for ports and obtaining Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licenses.

With many space-adjacent industries in the Grand Canyon State, the Space Rising co-founder said lawmakers can be at the frontline in pushing space initiatives forward.

“That was a big piece that came through this conversation,” Struck said. “We are moving forward and we will build an action blueprint when this is all done. We transcribed everything (from the meeting) and we will share it broadly with the community at large, with the Arizona Space Commission, our legislators across the board.”

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