Proposed facilities
Three scales
S1
Compact research center
Phase 1, after the smaller 2030 target space (3,000–7,000 sq ft); leased or hosted, only if conditions are met
S2
Educational & engineering campus
Phase 2+ (2030s), only if every condition is met
S3
Regional aerospace innovation district
Long term (2040s+), many owners
Preliminary area schedule
Gross building area at each scale:
- Compact research center: 7,000–15,000 sq ft (650–1,394 m²)
- Educational & engineering campus: 55,000–95,000 sq ft (5,110–8,826 m²)
- Regional aerospace innovation district: 200,000–500,000 sq ft (18,581–46,452 m²)
Room-by-room areas, site areas, shared amenities and the benchmarks behind the ranges are under More detail.
Drawings (early design)
These are diagrams written as code: not photoreal, not made with an image-generation model, and not designs for any real building or parcel.
Scroll sideways to see the whole drawing.
Figure 4. Compact research center (S1) — rooms in an existing building
v0.3 · 2026-10-19 · Plan — graphic scale shown (feet and metres)
A test fit of about 11,050 sq ft (1,027 m²) gross inside a generic existing building, 130 × 85 ft, drawn as a planned interior fit-out: a dry and electronics lab, a robotics test bay and a maker shop to the north; across a step-free corridor, mission-control learning, mission ops, a classroom, a conditional portable dome room, a commons at the main entrance, and restrooms, storage and plant to the south.
Figure notes
- The building is 130 × 85 ft. Gross area is about 11,050 sq ft (1,027 m²): rooms about 10,010 sq ft and the corridor about 1,040 sq ft.
- North rooms: maker shop and workshop, about 2,002 sq ft (186 m²), where machine-shop roles need a guide and sign-off; robotics test bay, about 1,502 sq ft (140 m²), with a roll-up door; dry and electronics lab, about 1,502 sq ft (140 m²).
- South rooms: mission-control learning, about 1,155 sq ft (107 m²), for school missions; mission ops, about 751 sq ft (70 m²); classroom, about 751 sq ft (70 m²); portable dome, about 901 sq ft (84 m²), conditional: only if it would not duplicate existing domes or the Da Vinci Science Center's plans; commons, about 462 sq ft (43 m²), with free water; restrooms, storage and plant, about 986 sq ft (92 m²).
- The corridor is step-free and 8 ft (2.4 m) wide. The main entrance is step-free too.
- The loading door is on the north wall.
- Engineering (gated roles)
- Public learning
- Commons and support
- Conditional room
Generic building; not any real address. Areas are design assumptions within the S1 range (7,000–15,000 sq ft). Sources: [3,5] Planning phase.
Scroll sideways to see the whole drawing.
Figure 5. Campus (S2) — a long-term massing idea on a generic site
v0.3 · 2026-10-19 · Axonometric, approx. — site 800 × 650 ft (244 × 198 m)
An illustrative axonometric massing of about 70,600 sq ft (6,560 m²) on a generic 12-acre (4.9 ha) site, with eight numbered labels: a three-story lab building, a tall single-story high-bay workshop, a public museum with a 40-ft dome, a garden courtyard, rain gardens, a solar carport, a transit stop and a conditional observing pad. Planned buildings and areas have dashed edges, because nothing is designed, approved or built.
Figure notes
- The campus is a long-term idea: Phase 2+ (2030s), only if every condition is met.
- The generic site is 12 acres (4.9 ha). The buildings total about 70,600 sq ft (6,560 m²), within the S2 range.
- 1. Labs, mission ops and classrooms: 3 stories, about 37,800 sq ft (3,512 m²).
- 2. High-bay workshop and test bay: 1 tall story, about 12,800 sq ft (1,189 m²).
- 3. Public museum, 40-ft dome, commons and library: about 20,000 sq ft (1,858 m²).
- 4. Garden courtyard and outdoor learning: about 0.6 ac (0.23 ha).
- 5. Rain gardens: no infiltration where karst is found.
- 6. Solar carport over about 100 parking spaces.
- 7. Transit stop and bike parking.
- 8. Outreach observing pad: only if measured sky brightness supports it.
- Labs, mission ops, classrooms
- High-bay workshop and test bay
- Public museum and dome
- Gardens, woods, rain gardens
- Solar carport
- Planned or conditional (dashed edge)
Not a design and not a real parcel. Massing only, to test whether the S2 program (55,000–95,000 sq ft) fits 8–15 acres. Design assumption; no external source. Planning phase.
Scroll sideways to see the whole drawing.
Figure 6. Lab and workshop interiors
v0.3 · 2026-10-19 · Perspective sketches — not to scale
Two planned rooms, sketched in perspective. Left: a mission-control learning room, where a class runs a simulated mission at paired consoles facing a shared screen wall. Right: a maker and robotics lab with open benches, a tool library, a gated machine area and a free water station.
Figure notes
- Mission-control learning room: about 1,150 sq ft (107 m²), 24 seats.
- Maker and robotics lab: about 2,000 sq ft (186 m²).
- Tool library: tools are lent and returned.
- Machines: sign-off only, after a guide and supervised days.
- Open to everyone (no training)
- Gated: guide, supervised days, sign-off
Illustrative drawings written as code — not photoreal, not made with an image-generation model, and not a design. Design assumption; no external source. Planning phase.
Scroll sideways to see the whole drawing.
Figure 7. Planetarium, museum and learning — portable dome and visitor journey
v0.3 · 2026-10-19 · Section: graphic scale shown. Journey: diagram, not to scale
Left: a section, drawn to scale, through a planned room with a conditional portable dome of assumed size, a projector at the center and seats around it, over graphic scales in feet and meters. Right: the visitor journey as a loop of six numbered steps — ask, try, fly a mission, look up, share a verified discovery, come back — planned so every step is free, step-free and hands-on.
Figure notes
- Room: 30 × 30 ft (9 × 9 m), with 16 ft (4.9 m) clear height.
- Portable dome (assumed size): 23 ft (7 m) across and 14 ft (4.3 m) high.
- About 30 seats around a projector at the center, with step-free entry, captions and audio description.
- Steps in full: start from a real question; a hands-on bench to build, test and break; a simulation with real data; a dome show or a star night; log a discovery and get credit; free returning visits and new roles.
- Portable dome (assumed size)
- Visitor journey step
- Conditional: only if added (dashed edge)
A dome is added only after checking that it would not duplicate the LVAAS and Kutztown planetariums or the Da Vinci Science Center's plans. Sources: [88,89] Planning phase.
Protecting people, science and places
Worker safety
Machine shops, high voltage, batteries, rocketry, lab chemicals, solar filters, balloons and lasers are gated roles: a quick guide, supervised days and sign-off by a named person.
Scientific integrity
Every result is shared with its data and limits; sponsors never control findings; 'discoveries' are logged with evidence and a named verifier.
Environmental resources
Reuse existing buildings first; no work on restricted brownfield ground; no ponds near the airport; dark-sky lighting.
Public access
Free or low-cost programs, free water, step-free access everywhere, captions and audio description, quiet hours.
More detail
Area schedule, room by room
| Facility | Phase | S1 Compact research center | S2 Educational & engineering campus | S3 Regional aerospace innovation district | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Space exploration and engineering labs (dry and electronics) | 1–2 | 1,000–2,000 sq ft (92.9–186 m²) | 8,000–12,000 sq ft (743–1,115 m²) | 40,000+ sq ft (3,716+ m²) | Wet labs only with a qualified partner and a chemical-hygiene plan. |
| Autonomous robotics and software lab / test bay | 1–2 | 1,000–2,000 sq ft (92.9–186 m²) | 5,000–8,000 sq ft (465–743 m²) | 20,000+ sq ft (1,858+ m²) | Campus scale includes a high-bay. |
| Satellite research, communications and mission operations | 1 | 500–1,000 sq ft (46.5–92.9 m²) | 2,000–3,000 sq ft (186–279 m²) | 5,000+ sq ft (465+ m²) | Antennas need FCC licensing and may need FAA notice (14 CFR 77.7). Within 5 nm of ABE, no antenna mast or other tall structure without an FAA no-hazard determination (a project rule).[57] |
| Astronomy observatory — where light conditions support it | 0–2 | None on site (portable telescopes) | 0–1,000 sq ft (0–92.9 m²) | None in Bethlehem (darker sites elsewhere) | Portable telescopes only at first; a small outreach deck only if measured sky brightness supports it; research observing at darker sites elsewhere.[33] |
| Planetarium and public space museum | 1 to long term | 0–900 sq ft (0–83.6 m²) | 8,000–14,000 sq ft (743–1,301 m²) | 20,000–40,000 sq ft (1,858–3,716 m²) | Portable dome first, only after checking existing domes (LVAAS, Kutztown) and the Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion (open since May 2024; no dome confirmed) to avoid duplication.[88,89,170] |
| Engineering workshops and maker spaces | 1 | 1,500–2,500 sq ft (139–232 m²) | 6,000–10,000 sq ft (557–929 m²) | 20,000+ sq ft (1,858+ m²) | Machine-shop roles require a guide, supervised days and sign-off. |
| Student and community classrooms | 1 | 600–900 sq ft (55.7–83.6 m²) | 4,000–6,000 sq ft (372–557 m²) | 15,000+ sq ft (1,394+ m²) | |
| Simulation, visualization and mission-control learning | 1 | 800–1,500 sq ft (74.3–139 m²) | 3,000–5,000 sq ft (279–465 m²) | 8,000+ sq ft (743+ m²) | The likely regional gap — to be confirmed against Da Vinci's exhibits the Challenger Learning Center announced at Montgomery County Community College in Pottstown, and a middle-school mission-control center in Allentown (unverified), not assumed.[170,171,190] |
| Testing and prototyping, appropriate to the chosen site | 1–2 | Bench-level, inside the workshop | 2,000–5,000 sq ft (186–465 m²) | Shared district facilities | Bench-level testing inside the workshop at compact scale. No propellants or motor storage except as the fire code and the landlord allow. |
| Space medicine and human-performance research | 2+ | None | 0–1,500 sq ft (0–139 m²) | Partner-defined | Only if qualified institutional partners lead it, under their IRB and Federalwide Assurance.[98,99] |
| Research library, public lectures and events | 1–2 | Shared with the gathering space | 1,500–3,000 sq ft (139–279 m²) | 5,000+ sq ft (465+ m²) | Shared with the gathering space at compact scale. |
| Affordable café, free water refill, accessible gathering | 1 | 300–600 sq ft (27.9–55.7 m²) | 2,000–3,000 sq ft (186–279 m²) | 5,000+ sq ft (465+ m²) | Free water always. Step-free access everywhere. |
| Internships, apprenticeships, jobs and community participation | 0 to long term | Program, no dedicated room | 500–1,000 sq ft (46.5–92.9 m²) | Program | A program first; a small office at campus scale. |
| Renewable energy, gardens and green space | 1 to long term | Rooftop solar only if the lease allows | 1–3 ac (0.4–1.2 ha) outdoors | District open space | Renewable energy, gardens and green space: rooftop solar only where a lease allows at compact scale; at campus scale, 1–3 acres of gardens (including produce for the food and water hub), outdoor learning, a park with themed playgrounds and a dog park, built to playground-safety and animal-welfare rules. Pets are welcome outdoors where safe. |
| Gross building area (incl. 25–35% circulation, storage, restrooms, plant) | 7,000–15,000 sq ft (650–1,394 m²) | 55,000–95,000 sq ft (5,110–8,826 m²) | 200,000–500,000 sq ft (18,581–46,452 m²) | ||
| Site area | 0.5–1 ac (0.2–0.4 ha)0 acres owned (existing buildings); 0.5–1 acre only if ever stand-alone. | 8–15 ac (3.2–6.1 ha)Includes parking, green space and stormwater management, with room to grow and space for a large Bethlehem Connect station (a separate plan). | 30–100 ac (12.1–40.5 ha)Many owners; this project would be at most one participant. |
Shared amenities
Food and water hub (planned)
Free water refill and a shared kitchen corner with fridges and freezers, so food from programs and events is saved instead of wasted. Every gathering plans water and food for everyone who comes.
- A named food-safety lead, with dated labels and temperature logs for shared fridges and freezers.
- Any food license or inspection the City's health bureau requires (to confirm).
- No store or food bank is named as a partner until it agrees in writing.
Restrooms (planned)
Modern, clean and accessible restrooms in every public space the center runs, including all-gender single rooms and family rooms with changing tables.
- Fixture counts and accessibility under the building code and the ADA Standards, designed by licensed professionals.
- Open whenever the public space is open, with a cleaning schedule.
Recycling, compost and reuse points (planned)
Sorting points with clear signs in every space the center runs and at every event, a reuse shelf for parts and materials, and compost for food and garden waste.
- Collection through the City's program or a licensed hauler (to confirm).
- Compost only where a compost option exists (to confirm).
- A volunteer or staff lead for each event's cleanup; an event isn't done until its cleanup is.
Space playground (planned)
A free outdoor play area next to the center, with space-themed climbing structures such as a rocket and planets, and later other play areas themed on the center's buildings. It goes only on land whose owner agrees in writing; no spot is selected.
- Built to the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook and the ASTM F1487 standard for public playground equipment.
- Accessible play under the 2010 ADA Standards for play areas (sections 240 and 1008).
- Inspected by a certified playground safety inspector before opening, and on a schedule after.
- The landowner's written permission and the City's permits.
- Low structures only: within 5 nm of ABE, nothing tall without FAA review (a project rule).
What the ranges are based on
- One Building C wing at Mountaintop is about 80 × 240 ft — roughly 19,200 sq ft of footprint.[3]
- Ben Franklin TechVentures is converting more than 10,000 sq ft into labs — about the size of the compact scale.[5]
- For size only: a Lehigh-listed ground lease in Center Valley is listed at 10+ acres, the same order as the 8–15 acre campus range (reported; undated listing; not a target).[43]
- Existing regional domes: an 85-seat planetarium at Kutztown University and a 21-ft dome at LVAAS.[88,89]
- Conversions: 1 sq ft = 0.0929 m²; 1 acre = 0.4047 ha.