Utah Spaceport Committee Picks Delta, Green River for Space Facility

Utah lawmakers should move forward with developing a space facility in either Delta or Green River, according to a final report issued last week by the state’s Spaceport Exploration Committee. The 18-member panel, which spent a year assessing the viability of a local spaceport, identified these two locations as the most viable sites for a multimodal facility that could support both rocket launches and spacecraft reentry.

The committee narrowed a list of seven potential sites to these two based on capital costs, environmental impacts, economic potential, and technical operations. Delta, in Millard County, ranked highest in market demand and technical factors due to its proximity to the Utah Test and Training Range, major highways, and a rail line. Green River, in Emery County, led in capital and operating costs while offering a usable restricted corridor for point-to-point testing. The report concludes that both launch and reentry services are feasible at these locations and meet Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements.

The committee issued four specific recommendations to the Legislature. They include securing site control, beginning FAA licensing and National Environmental Policy Act reviews, authorizing the Utah Department of Transportation to lead development, and reauthorizing the committee to oversee those efforts. The panel is co-chaired by Sen. Ann Milner, R-Ogden, and UDOT Commissioner Carlo Braceras. This effort marks the first time the state has pursued such a facility since losing a 1971 competition to Florida for the U.S. Space Shuttle program, a loss that has haunted local aerospace ambitions for over five decades.

Despite the committee’s endorsement of a dual-purpose facility, several industry leaders argue the state should focus primarily on reentry and recovery. Delian Asparouhov, president of Varda Space Industries, testified before the committee last year and described Utah as poorly positioned for commercial launches but promising for landing vehicles. Varda returned its first space manufacturing capsule to Dugway Proving Ground in 2024, though Asparouhov noted the process was difficult compared to later missions that landed in Australia.

Asparouhov advocates for reentry infrastructure to support orbital manufacturing, such as pharmaceutical processing in microgravity. He stated, “There is a compelling case for investing in reentry infrastructure,” and added, “I love Utah and I’d love for it to be Utah for reentry.” A former West High School graduate, Asparouhov sees a practical business need for a dependable landing location that could serve Varda and other companies returning spacecraft from orbit.

A.C. Charania, a former NASA chief technologist, echoed this view in an interview. He advised the state to adopt a phased approach, starting with reentry to build operational expertise before pursuing complex launch capabilities. Charania highlighted that growth in the space industry does not guarantee a market for a new launch site. He asked, “Where is it going to land?” referring to separated rocket stages from an inland site, suggesting that reentry offers a more practical entry point for Utah’s geography.

Aaron Starks, a committee member and CEO of the 47G advocacy group, also favors a reentry-first strategy. Starks acknowledged that launch capacity would be a competitive advantage but argued that the state should focus on reentry to avoid competing with established coastal sites like Kodiak or Vandenberg. “My personal take is Utah has a huge, outsize role to play in space but I’m more bullish on reentry than I am on launch,” Starks said. The committee remains open to evaluating multiple possibilities as the Legislature considers the report’s recommendations.