Growing New Mexico’s space economy: Experts from around New Mexico gather at UNM for Space Workshop

This month, the University of New Mexico's Sustainable Space Research Grand Challenge (SSR-GC) team hosted experts in space research from across the state for a one-day workshop aimed to strengthen collaboration and identify actionable pathways to advance the state's growing role in the space economy.

The event brought together New Mexico space industry stakeholders including representatives from universities, national laboratories, state agencies, and private industry.

"The level of engagement we saw during and after the workshop underscores that this is the right moment for New Mexico to look skyward and invest in its future," said Research Professor and SSR-GC co-convener Charles Shearer.

UNM Vice President for Research Ellen Fisher kicked off the event highlighting the University's growing role in New Mexico's space economy and underscored the need for strong industry partnerships, strategic alignment, and a shared commitment to action across the field.

Nancy Conrad, chair of the Conrad Foundation, followed with a powerful keynote. She reflected on New Mexico's history of space innovation while urging collaboration to advance the state's role in the industry.

"With the talent, infrastructure, and leadership in this room, New Mexico has a real opportunity to lead in the New Space economy," Conrad said. "There's no other place with this exact combination."

Conrad, a former teacher and widow of Apollo 12 astronaut Pete Conrad, created the Conrad Foundation in 2008 to honor his legacy. The Foundation sponsors an annual global STEM and entrepreneurship competition that challenges students to create and build innovative solutions and apply their scientific, social and economic knowledge to solve real-world problems.

Following brief presentations from leaders in academia, national laboratories, workforce development programs, and industry. Participants then engaged in facilitated working groups focused on several key areas:

• Spaceflight, Habitation & Health
• Nuclear Power & Advanced Propulsion
• Sensing, Earth Observation & Resilient Systems
• In-Space Assembly, Manufacturing & Resource Utilization
• Building the Public-Private Space Economy
• Exploration of the Moon & Beyond

Each group identified a major opportunity within their focus area and outlined near-term next steps to advance a strong space economy in New Mexico. The workshop concluded with participants sharing findings across groups, revealing strong alignment on opportunities and reinforcing a shared vision to position New Mexico as a global leader in space innovation. Attendees highlighted New Mexico's significant existing assets including universities, national laboratories, and Spaceport America, as well as ongoing research and sensing infrastructure, strong natural and geographic advantages, and a growing industry interest. To wrap up the event, attendees also highlighted several key needs to be addressed moving forward:

• Coordinated statewide leadership on space initiatives;
• Stronger communication, partnership, and information-sharing across universities, industry, national laboratories, and government to better align research, workforce, and economic development efforts;
• Sustained funding, infrastructure investment, and legislative support to advance testing, manufacturing, workforce development, and long-term space-related initiatives in New Mexico;
• Expanded workforce development pathways connecting K-12 schools, universities, and industry partners to build a robust talent pipeline;
• Increased interdisciplinary education and training pathways including certificates, micro-credentials, internships, and other hands-on learning aligned with workforce needs;
• Greater access to and coordination of advanced equipment and testing facilities across institutions including the New Mexico Spaceport;
• Continued convening of stakeholders to maintain momentum and address emerging challenges and opportunities.

"This gathering reaffirmed that New Mexico is exceptionally well-positioned to capitalize on the growing space economy," said Scott McLaughlin, executive director of Spaceport America. "We have all the right ingredients, but we need regular convenings like this to share ideas, listen to one another and plan how to fully leverage our capabilities and assets."

If you are interested in getting involved with efforts to develop New Mexico's space economy, please .

The UNM Grand Challenges program was launched in 2018 by President Garnett Stokes. Grand Challenges are problems of global, national, and regional significance that require researchers to work together across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions. Grand Challenges address problems that, when solved, have a significant positive impact on people and society. UNM is the state's leading research institution, making it the ideal location in which to situate complex interdisciplinary research work.