AUSTIN – Texas Governor Greg Abbott made a major announcement on the future of the space industry in Texas at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Governor Abbott announced the establishment the Texas Space Commission. Along with this announcement, the Governor appointed the inaugural members of the commission’s Board of Directors and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium (TARSEC) Executive Committee.
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“Since its very inception, NASA’s Johnson Space Center has been home to manned spaceflight, propelling Texas as the national leader in the U.S. space program,” Abbott said. “It was at Rice University where President John F. Kennedy announced that the U.S. would put a man on the moon—not because it was easy, but because it was hard. Now, with the Texas Space Commission, our great state will have a group that is responsible for dreaming and achieving the next generation of human exploration in space.”
We have liftoff for the Texas Space Commission!@GovAbbott launched 🚀 the Texas Space Commission today, here at Johnson Space Center.
— NASA's Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) March 26, 2024
Texas and state Legislature passed the Texas Space Commission to allow the State of Texas to take a more profound lead and increase… pic.twitter.com/bJQvxiaNL9
The Texas Space Commission was formed with the goal of strengthening the state’s influence in aerospace activity by promoting innovation in space research and exploration. The organization will be governed by its Board of Directors, which consists of nine members.
Along with the announcement, Governor Abbott also toured the mission control and spoke with native Texan and NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara via International Space Station feed.
The Governor was also joined by Speaker Dade Phelan, Representative Greg Bonnen, NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche, and other state and space industry leaders.
In a post on X, Governor Abbott cemented his excitement about the program’s potential to further Houston’s influence on space travel.
“As we look to the future of space, one thing is clear: those who reach for the stars do so from the great state of Texas,” Abbott said in the post.
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