Blue Origin simulates lunar gravity during New Shepard launch
Blue Origin launched a spacecraft that can simulate lunar gravity into suborbital space during a research flight from West Texas.
Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages to how Texas is funding its potential journey to the stars, and it could have a closer impact on West Texas than one may think.
In late January, the Texas Space Commission approved $21.5 million in awards from the Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund to three cities — Lubbock, San Angelo and El Paso.
Lubbock and San Angelo each received a half million, and El Paso received two grants totaling the rest.
“The four awards approved today will support companies in Texas to partner with the U.S. Space Force, assess the feasibility of an aerospace corridor between El Paso and Midland, and understand how various regions in Texas can best engage with the burgeoning space economy,” said Gwen Griffin, chair of the TSC board, in a statement.
El Paso’s allotment of about $20 million would help fund a Space Innovation Hub in that community, according to local media reports.
However, we are years away from the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport turning into an intergalactic space hub or West Texans seeing space shuttles landing in their backyards.
Kelly Davila, director of regional services and economic development for the South Plains Association of Governments, said the project is in its infancy.
“We’ve received $500,000 to do a technical analysis of feasibility study of the region,” Davila said. “We’re looking to identify alternative launch and landing sites.”
To do such a study, Davila said SPAG is looking for consultants who will be looking at technical feasibility, environmental concerns and population concerns, among other things, for the project.
Davila spoke to the SPAG’s board of directors earlier in the week, saying that the study won’t only analyze Lubbock but also surrounding counties to see if space is available for such an endeavor.
Even though Davila jokingly said Lubbock is in a “space race with San Angelo,” both entities agreed to work together because both want the projects to be similar in scope and analysis.
“I think this is just the beginning,” Davila said. “I think there’s some serious interest in identifying and building out sites, going to them for the planning dollars and technical analysis.”
In September 2024, the TSC published an application online for its Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) grant program. The deadline to submit applications was January 21, 2025. During the application window, 284 grant requests totaling $3.46 billion were received from 140 unique entities.
“With governing rules in place, each Board member is working through all of the compliant applications as quickly as possible. We know applicants are anxious to see the Commission increase its cadence of awards,” said Norman Garza Jr., TSC executive director.
In 2023, the 88th Texas Legislature passed and Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 3447 byState Rep. Greg Bonnen to establish the TSC and Texas Aerospace Research & Space Economy Consortium (TARSEC). The total appropriations by the Legislature for SEARF grant program is $150 million.