Texas Space industry Brochure

Midland
Houston
Brownsville
TEXAS
SPACE
WIDE OPEN FOR
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Texas at the heart of the space race
4 Texas Space Industry Overview
6 Case Study: XCOR Aerospace - Midland, Texas
7 Case Study: Orbital Outfitters - Midland, Texas
8 Case Study: SpaceX - Brownsville, Texas
9 Case Study: STARGATE - Brownsville, Texas
10 Midland International Air & Space Port
11 Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
At the heart of the space race
I
n July of 1969, America’s dreams
of space travel reached a worldwide crescendo. As mankind
landed on the moon for the first time in
history, the first thing the astronauts did
was to serve notice to the nervous technicians gathered at the operation’s nerve
center in the Lone Star State.
“Houston,” they radioed, “Tranquility
Base here, the Eagle has landed.”
Texas was mission control throughout
NASA’s victorious race to the moon in the
1960s, and the Johnson Space Center remains vital today, heading up operation of
the International Space Station and numerous other efforts revolving around manned
spaceflight.
Joining them is a new wave of privatesector space pioneers establishing themselves in exciting and innovative ways,
and Texas continues to be at the center of
it all.
Some of the state’s current space-related highlights include:
SpaceX announcement that it will
build a new spaceport near Brownsville,
which will serve as the base of its operations, which are already successfully ferrying food and supplies to the
International Space Station.
Lockheed Martin is helping develop
NASA's Orion space capsule, its next
space exploration vehicle.
Boeing Space Exploration, headquartered in Houston, recently won a $4.2 billion contract from NASA to build and fly
astronauts to the International Space Station on an American-made spacecraft.
XCOR Aerospace, which is developing a suborbital space plane that will take
off and land like any other aircraft, relocated its research and development from
Mojave, Calif., to Midland in 2012. Midland recently announced FAA approval for
a Commercial Space Launch License.
Blue Origin, focuses on utilizing technology to enable vertical takeoffs and
landings of reusable suborbital and orbital
capsules, established a development facility in Van Horn.
Firefly Space Systems, a satellite
launch company, has announced its move
from California to the Austin area, for
both its headquarters and test facilities.
This all means a lot of great things for
Texas, including quality jobs for Texans.
But it also means unique and growing opportunities for all Texans, particularly our
students.
SpaceX, for example, is working with
state and local officials and educators at
UT Brownsville to create STARGATE, or
the South Texas Spacecraft Tracking and
Astrophysical Research into Gigahertz Astronomical Transient Emission. This project, funded in part by the Texas Emerging
Technology Fund, will not only support
launch operations in Brownsville, it will
give countless students from area high
schools and from what will soon be called
UT-Rio Grande Valley the chance of a lifetime to work, hands-on, with cutting-edge
technology.
So, not only is Texas capitalizing on
the great leaps forward that have already
been made, it's building the foundation for
many more discoveries for decades to
come.
Texas’ pioneer spirit has always been a
key part of our tradition of facing tough
challenges head-on. That makes Texas the
perfect place for the world's best and
brightest minds to continue our collective
reach for the stars.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
OVERVIEW
Space Industry Cluster
And today, with the introduction of the new space industry, Texas
is poised to add innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities to
what is becoming a diversified competitive global economy.
Companies in Texas
Companies calling Texas home include Space Exploration Technologies, Blue Origin, XCOR Aerospace, Orbital Outfitters and
Firefly. Now that the Federal Aviation Administration has allowed
SpaceX to launch rockets from the South Texas coast and Midland International Airport has received its Commercial Space
Launch Site License, thus becoming the first primary commercial
service airport to be certified by the FAA under the Federal Aviation Regulation Part 420 as a spaceport and will furthermore be
referred to as the Midland International Air & Space Port, a string
of other space companies are looking at Texas for either one or all
three aspects of their enterprise, which include manufacturing, research & development and launching operations.
Primary Jobs
The Texas Legislature states primary jobs are those which infuse
new dollars into the local economy by means of external business. In other words, a product is created or serviced in the local
economy, and exported and / or sold at the state, national, or
global markets.
Incentives
In the case of South Texas, several entities at the local and state
level have committed either funds, services or abatements for the
project. To this date, the SpaceX project is the recipient of the
largest combined incentives program in the Brownsville area, followed by XCOR Aerospace in Midland.
Higher Education
In order to develop a pipeline of talent, space companies will seek
out internship opportunities with institutions of higher education.
Developing a state-wide talent base is critical for the success of
space companies. Both the University of Texas and Texas A&M
Systems have developed aerospace, space and astronomy departments to support the space-related companies in Texas. Midland’s new state of the art Altitude Chamber Complex will offer
research and development opportunities for all Texas higher education institutions. UTPB has been provided, at no cost, 100
hours per year for R&D purposes.
STEMS
Space companies are working with local Texas school districts to
place a focus on the STEMS field, in order to develop a talent
pipeline for their operations.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
OVERVIEW
Entrepreneurship
Innovation, space and astronomy are all variables factoring into
the success of a space company. In the case of Texas, opportunities will be afforded to entrepreneurs as commercial space companies move into the state.
Other Cash Flows
Space-related projects will generate millions of dollars over the
years to city coffers in indirect sales tax revenues associated with
local spending from the space company’s employees and its supplier base.
Tourism
For unmanned launch at Cape Canaveral attracts upward of
40,000 visitors, with several million dollars in economic impact to
the immediate area. For cities which would be hosting launches,
either orbital or suborbital, it’s expected to see about 10,000 to
15,000 people visit their respective cities and counties per launch.
The Midland Spaceport Business Park as well as XCOR Aerospace have plans for a designated viewing and visitors center.
Leisure
In the case of Brownsville, Texas, a string of hotel franchises already are looking to invest in South Texas to accommodate the
visitors planning to view the launches of SpaceX rockets.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
CASE STUDY: XCOR AEROSPACE - MIDLAND, TEXAS
XCOR Aerospace
Research and
Development Headquarters
XCOR Aerospace has established their Research and Development Headquarters in
Midland. The forward-thinking
company manufactures
reusable rocket engines for
major aerospace prime contractors and is the designer, manufacturer and operator of the
Lynx, a winged fully reusable,
high performance suborbital
space vehicle that is designed to
safely carry two persons or scientific experiments to the edge
of space and back up to four
times per day.
Capital Investment
XCOR will invest a minimum of $4 million consisting of machinery,
equipment and renovations to an existing hangar.
Direct Jobs
Over a six year period XCOR will create $12 million in annual
salaries Over 50 of these jobs will be relocation of XCOR employees from operations in Mojave, CA.
Airport
Infrastructure is being developed at the Midland Spaceport Business Park which is located at the Midland International Air &
Space Port.
Economic Impact
Along with the salaries for primary jobs, they will outsource the
manufacturing of parts to local fabrication shops. The majority of
employees relocating from California will be purchasing homes in
Midland further increasing the local tax base.
Tourism
The numbers of tourists that expected to watch the Lynx takeoff
and landings are not known, but are expected to be in the thousands.
Construction Jobs
$3.7 million in renovations to the existing hangar will generate 275
local construction jobs.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
CASE STUDY: ORBITAL OUTFITTERS - MIDLAND, TEXAS
Orbital Outfitters
Orbital Outfitters has now become the
second tenant of the groundbreaking
Midland International Air & Space
Port. Orbital Outfitters is a NewSpace
company that provides a range of
services to vehicle developers and
other companies in the aerospace
sector. Orbital Outfitters’ two primary
lines of business are the development
of space and pressure suits and the
fabrication of full scale vehicle mockups for either engineering or PR purposes. Orbital Outfitters’ first suit, the
IS³, was based upon requirements
from XCOR Aerospace, also located
at the Midland Spaceport, and we expect that an incarnation of this suit will
serve XCOR’s needs in the future.
Capital Investment
$500,000 in equipment & machinery.
Direct Jobs
Creation of $1.2 million in annual salaries and wages within 8
years.
Airport
Orbital Outfitter’s new facility will also be located in the Midland
Spaceport Business Park.
Economic Impact
Orbital Outfitters will manage the $3.2 million attitude chamber for
the Midland Development Corporation which will provide research
and development opportunities for Texas higher education institutions as well as for national education institutions.
Construction Jobs
Orbital Outfitter’s $3.2 million for a new facility will produce 250
construction jobs.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
CASE STUDY: SPACEX - BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
SpaceX
In September 2014, SpaceX held the
groudbreaking for the world’s first vertical rocket launch site, to be located at
Boca Chica Beach, outside the city of
Brownsville, Texas. From this site, the
company plans to make 12 annual
launches using its Facoln 9 and Falcon
Heavy vehicles. SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches the world’s
most advanced rockets and spacecraft.
The company was founded in 2002 by
Elon Musk to revolutionize space transportation, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.
Today, SpaceX is advancing the boundaries of space technology through its
Falcon launch vehicles and Dragon
spacecraft.
Capital Investment
The project’s three components include the Vertical Rocket
Launch Site, Launch Command Center and the Ground Tracking
Station. The turnaround time for the construction project will be
18-24 months. The breakdown of the capital investment:
Land: $9.1 million; Building: $37.7 million; Machinery, Equipment: $38.2 million; TOTAL: $85 million
Legislative Process
The Texas Legislature amended the Open Beach Act and updated
the Noise Ordinance in order to allow for SpaceX launches to
occur at Boca Chica Beach. Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr., Texas
Reps. Rene Oliveira and Eddie Lucio III all worked diligently to
amend and update the legislature.
Tourism
SpaceX monthly launches will attract upward of 15,000 visitors.
Visitors are expected to stay 2-3 three days in the Greater
Brownsville area participating in an array of other activities, fueling
the local sales tax revenue.
Direct Jobs
Employment at SpaceX in South Texas will reach 500 primary
jobs over a 10-year period, paying annual wages of more than
$75,000.
Construction Jobs
The building of the three SpaceX components will generate 200250 construction jobs in an 18-24 month period, creating opportunities for local contractors and subcontractors.
Airport
The Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport is planning the construction of a new terminal, also to accommodate the
influx of passengers and visitors for both, SpaceX launches and
those working on the rocket.
Economic Impact
SpaceX will infuse $50 million annually in direct wages for local
residents, which multiplies as the supplier network develops in the
area to support the launch operation.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
CASE STUDY: STARGATE - BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS
STARGATE
The Space Tracking and Astronomical Research into Gigahertz Astrophysical Transient
Emission, or STARGATE, is a
partnership between SpaceX
and the University of Texas
System created to develop and
support commercialization of
phased-array technology for
satellite and space vehicle
communication. It is funded by
the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, the University of
Texas System, the Greater
Brownsville Incentives Corporation, and the U.S. Economic
Development Administration.
In addition to laboratories for research
and development, STARGATE will also
be home to a focused business incubator that will help promote space exploration related businesses in the region.
STARGATE will allow students and
faculty to be involved in all aspects of
space technology, commercialization
and the creation of the ideas for new
technology and transfer pieces.
The STARGATE facility will be a radio
frequency technology park located adjacent to the SpaceX launch site command
center. SpaceX will assemble and launch
their signature advanced rockets and
spacecraft, with launches every month at
the Boca Chica Beach site.
STARGATE will enable researchers to
develop the next generation of radio signal receiving and transmitting systems
based on "phased-array" technology. This
technology has the potential to be transformational in the commercial space and
aviation sectors as well as in commercial
communications markets.
STARGATE, a radio frequency technology
facility that will serve an academic and research role while also providing a business
incubator to cultivate the future aerospace
cluster expected to grow in SpaceX’s wake.
STARGATE is the first research center of
excellence for the new University of Texas
at Rio Grande Valley.
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TEXAS SPACE INDUSTRY
MIDLAND INTERNATIONAL AIR & SPACE PORT
• Midland International Air &
Space Port is the first primary
commercial service airport to be
certified by the FAA under the
Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR)
Part 420 as a spaceport.
• The idea behind Midland’s realistic spaceport business model is
to build a cluster of aerospace
and commercial space companies
to assist in the diversification of
Midland and the state of Texas’
economy.
• The 40-acre Spaceport Business Park allows Midland to offer
commercial space companies an
economical venue for testing, production and launch operations.
• Safety of our citizens is our
number one priority. The Department of Airports has worked
closely with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials to ensure the safe integration of launch
and re-entry vehicles during the
commercial launch site licensing
application and will continue
these close relationships into the
future.
• Midland’s workforce has pre-existing skills that are transferrable
to the Aerospace/Aviation industry
as well as ancillary companies to
support this industry.
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BAY AREA HOUSTON ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP
• The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership includes over
50 aerospace contractor companies that support NASA and
America’s Human Space Exploration Program.
• Locally, the aerospace industry
is defined by the NASA Johnson
Space Center (JSC) and over 50
contractor companies that support the center.
The NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) is proud to call Texas
home. Established in 1961, from
the early Gemini, Apollo and Skylab projects to today, JSC continues to lead NASA's efforts in
human space exploration. As the
premier NASA center for human
space flight and related scientific
and medical research efforts,
JSC plays a pivotal role in the
success of NASA’s mission. JSC
manages the development, testing, training, and operation of all
U.S. human spacecraft missions
and is home to Mission Control
and the Astronaut Corps
JSC is a positive force in the
local community
and plays a vital
role in both the
regional and
state
economies. The
dollars spent in
procurements,
grants to educational institutions and
nonprofits and
by aerospace
employees enhance business
development, create jobs and increase the tax base.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center
employs nearly 3,000 civil servants.
Nearly 11,000 contractor employees work in the vicinity of the
Johnson Space Center supporting NASA programs and operations for a total aerospace
workforce of approximately
14,000.