NASA Hubs Awards $1.3M Grant to Colorado Space Institute at ACC
The Colorado Space Institute (CSI) at Arapahoe Community College (ACC) has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from NASA's Aerospace State Hubs for Skilled Technical Workforce (NASA Hubs) program to strengthen Colorado's aerospace technician workforce over the next three years.
CSI at ACC, which was selected as one of just seven lead NASA Hubs nationwide, leverages Colorado's existing educational and aerospace infrastructure to formalize employer-informed competency frameworks, expand apprenticeships and internships, and integrate structured security-readiness education into technician pathways.
The grant will support continued collaboration among Colorado Community College System institutions, industry partners, workforce agencies, and NASA to strengthen the state's aerospace talent pipeline and prepare skilled technicians for in-demand careers. Collaborative events, such as ACC's Space Educator Bootcamp, an immersive educational event hosted at the ACC Sturm Collaboration Campus at Castle Rock each summer, bring together community college faculty and executives, middle / high school teachers, and administrators from local K-12 school districts, alongside CSI and the ACC Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (CITL), to support ACC's Associate of Applied Science degree program in Space Science while promoting aerospace and career-connected STEM opportunities.
NASA Hubs is a cooperative agreement administered by the NASA Shared Services Center to address critical shortages in the nation's aerospace technical workforce. The initiative brings together government, industry, economic development, and education partners to leverage federal, state, and local workforce resources, and accelerate the number of students entering skilled aerospace technical careers to support NASA's mission.
In the fall of 2025, CSI was selected as a NASA Hub from a competitive nationwide pool of applicants to spearhead statewide efforts in the development of sustainable training and education programs while increasing the number of skilled technicians entering Colorado's aerospace industry.
"This investment allows CSI to bring together education, industry, and workforce partners across Colorado to create clear pathways into high-demand aerospace technician careers," said CSI Director Grace Crain-Wright. "By aligning training with employer needs, we can prepare more students for careers that support both Colorado's aerospace economy and NASA's mission. Our vision is for CSI to become a 'work tank' where students and industry collaborate on real-world projects that accelerate innovation and workforce development."
CSI is an emerging statewide leader in aerospace workforce development and space education, offering skill-based programming in space data analytics, space manufacturing, space operations, and space business. Career pathways through CSI include data analytics & visualization, artificial intelligence & machine learning, ground mission control, geospatial information systems & navigation, and systems engineering & sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) construction.
"We are very grateful for this generous grant from NASA Hubs," said ACC President Stephanie J. Fujii, Ph.D. "This award positions the Colorado Space Institute at ACC to move forward in developing our nation’s skilled aerospace technical workforce while strengthening the alignment between education and industry in Colorado.”
ACC partners with industry and employers to build regional talent pipelines and drive economic vitality through learning opportunities designed to address Colorado’s evolving workforce needs. For more information about the Colorado Space Institute at ACC and the NASA Hubs grant, contact grace [dot] crain-wright [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (Grace Crain-Wright).