ACC's Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock exterior building

Colorado Space Institute at ACC

What is the Colorado Space Institute at ACC?

The Colorado Space Institute at Arapahoe Community College aims to become a leader in space education and aerospace workforce development for Colorado students. Based at the Sturm Collaboration Campus in Castle Rock, the Institute will offer competency-based programming to grow the future of Colorado's space workforce.

The Colorado Space Institute is built on the need to think strategically and holistically about how to build Colorado's aerospace workforce, and on the necessity to create the training and educational opportunities to make this a reality. ACC envisions the Colorado Space Institute to be a "work-tank," rather than a traditional "think-tank," for developing and fostering Colorado's space workforce in ground-based operations.

The Institute's competency-based education programs are being designed to provide learners with a number of advantages as they enter (or re-enter) the workforce. Learners will work with credentialed faculty and mentors from the field to learn the skills they need to be successful on the job. Colorado Space Institute learners will be assessed on their ability to understand how these skills fit into broader sectors of the aerospace economy. Additionally, learners will develop their critical thinking, communication, and other professional skills to make them even more valuable as employees.

ACC's Colorado Space Institute Mission and Vision

Vision

The Colorado Space Institute at ACC aims to be the premier "work tank" for developing Colorado's space workforce, supporting the state's position as a global leader in space education and ground-based space careers.

Mission

The Colorado Space Institute at ACC aims to build a diverse, forward-thinking space workforce through innovative, competency-based education programs that meet the needs of national security, civil, and commercial space sectors.

ACC and AEE

ACC has been welcomed into the Academic Engagement Enterprise (AEE) for the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). The goal of the AEE is to foster relationships and collaboration between cutting edge academic institutions and USSPACECOM. USSPACECOM hopes to collaborate with colleges and universities on the following goals:

Engage with future workforce
Increase space applied research and innovation
Expand space-focused analytic partnerships
Enrich the strategic dialogue on space

Contact

Tom Coakley, PhD

Academic Dean and Executive Director of Colorado Space Institute

tom.coakley [at] arapahoe.edu

303.797.5943

Grace Crain-Wright

Director, Colorado Space Institute at ACC

grace.crain-wright [at] arapahoe.edu

Join the Space Educator Bootcamp

Arapahoe Community College (ACC) hosted its Space Educator Bootcamp in June 2025 at the ACC Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock.

Community college faculty and executives, as well as high school/middle school teachers and administrators from local K-12 school districts, convened to discuss how educators at all levels can utilize an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to integrating space-related content into their course development with the goal of building the aerospace curriculum employers are seeking while preparing local students for Colorado’s space economy.

ACC faculty and staff with community members, industry partners, and others at the Colorado Space Institute Bootcamp at the Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock.

Colorado Space Institute Pathways and ACC Connections

The overall goal of the Colorado Space Institute at ACC is to offer stackable micro-credentials that lead to certifications, associate, and bachelor's degrees to prepare learners for ground-based space careers. Learners will have the opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary combination of courses that will provide the technical and professionals skills needed to thrive in the aerospace industry. Some courses may include: print reading, Computer Aided Design (CAD), business, technical writing, Python programming, and data ethics.

In addition, the Colorado Space Institute at ACC will design and support the integration of space-related content into courses offered across all departments and disciplines offered at ACC.

The Colorado Space Institute at ACC will support, collaborate, and provide opportunities for all Colorado community colleges. Using an analogy from military / aerospace organizational frameworks, the Space Institute at ACC would mimic a "mission ground station" integrating the state's aerospace training and education architecture to deliver scalable and unprecedented capabilities to Colorado's aerospace economy.

In this analogy, each college in CCCS is a relay node (like a satellite or spacecraft), providing micro-credentials, certificates, and degree programs that meet the aerospace workforce needs of government and industry across the state.

Introduction to Space Course

January 21 - May 6, 2026
Wednesdays from 3-6pm

Want to learn more about the space industry? Take our non-credit Introduction to Space course through ACC Workforce & Community Programs. This course, taught by former aerospace engineer and author Sheah Pirnack, will explore the full lifecycle of a space mission from design to data collection, and the variety of subjects that make up space science.