SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sierra Vista's effort to establish a spaceport at the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport has stalled after the Federal Aviation Administration put the city's application on hold in April.
The city is now waiting for Black Star Orbital — a company already leasing land at the airport to use as a satellite re-entry site — to be ready to apply for its own license before Sierra Vista can move forward with the FAA.
Tony Boone, the city's spaceport director, said the process has proven more complex than anticipated.
"In short order, the spaceport is taking longer and more work than maybe we perhaps believed it to begin with," Boone said.
Boone said the city and Black Star Orbital need to be aligned before returning to the FAA.
"We need to be kind of in sync with their plans to go to space, re-enter, and then kind of work that through with the city, and then we have the opportunity to go back to the FAA," Boone said.
While waiting, Boone said he and the city have been working with the state's space commission to discuss infrastructure needs for spaceports across Arizona.
"Really, it's a good timing for Sierra Vista to jump in, because really the state's trying to get a handle on what does the ecosystem look like, and where do we need to go?" Boone said.
Yuma is also working on a launch site, which Boone said pairs well with the re-entry site Sierra Vista is planning — and he does not see the two cities as competitors.
"It's by no means a competition, and that's what makes it really interesting, because ultimately both are best for the state of Arizona," Boone said.
There is no current timeline for when Sierra Vista expects to receive its spaceport license. Boone said staying visible in the process is critical.
"I think it's really important that we're in the conversation, and then the other part is we're in the conversation so that businesses know that we are pursuing this," Boone said.
Boone said the city remains committed to moving as quickly as the regulatory process allows.
"I think, from the community perspective, to let them know that we're still rolling, we're still moving. We're moving as fast as the system allows us to move, and that system is controlled by the commercial space office at the FAA," Boone said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
RELATED CONTENT| Blackstar Orbital lands spacecraft facility at Sierra Vista Municipal Airport
RELATED CONTENT|Launching new missions for the Sierra Vista Municipal Airport
----
——-
Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
