HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Collins Aerospace, a unit of Raytheon Technologies, announced plans to build a 120,000-square-foot campus to support spaceflight activities and host Houston’s first dedicated spaceflight incubator.
The development will be located at the 400-acre Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport, situated on the southeast side of Houston near Space Center Boulevard.
Managed by the City of Houston Airport System, the Houston Spaceport is designed to promote space vehicle assembly, space tourism, component and composite development and fabrication, zero-gravity scientific and medical research, and microsatellite deployment.
Positioned not far from NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the Spaceport also contributes to astronaut training and workforce development.
As an anchor tenant at Houston Spaceport, Collins Aerospace will receive up to $25.6 million in financing from Houston Airports to support capital improvements. Collins Aerospace already operates a Houston facility that develops and produces systems for NASA’s human spaceflight programs, but that site has reached capacity.
“Collins Aerospace’s new campus is another game-changer for Houston as we position our region as one of the country’s leading next-generation tech and aerospace hubs,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. “We are leveraging Houston’s many advantages, including our dynamic workforce, to fuel the future of aerospace—a potentially trillion-dollar, 21st-century commercial space economy.”
The new Collins Aerospace campus will remain part of the company’s Mission Systems business unit, one of Collins Aerospace’s six strategic divisions. The campus will include a 10,000-square-foot incubator space dedicated to startups and university teams collaborating on critical space technology challenges, including robotics, medical applications, and additive manufacturing. The incubator aims to foster collaboration and innovation across the Houston aerospace community.
“On behalf of Collins Aerospace, I would like to thank the City of Houston, Houston Airports and the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership for creating a robust business climate and for their strong support of this important expansion,” said Phil Jasper, president of Collins Aerospace’s Mission Systems business unit. “Building on our 40 years in the Houston community, this expansion will further strengthen collaboration with our customers to support spaceflight.”
“Collins Aerospace is a great fit at Houston Spaceport,” said Houston Airports Director Mario Diaz. “This partnership is a key element in realizing the importance of Houston Spaceport—as a center for collaboration and innovation where some of the brightest minds can lead us beyond the next frontier of space exploration.”
Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership
“For 45 years, the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) has worked closely with Houston’s aerospace community to help this vital industry cluster thrive,” said BAHEP President Bob Mitchell. “The work Collins Aerospace has brought to Houston for nearly 40 years has created valuable aerospace career opportunities for local residents.”
Houston is the only city in the Western Hemisphere with two Skytrax-rated four-star airports.
In addition to Collins Aerospace’s announcement, Axiom Space recently revealed plans to develop a 14-acre headquarters campus at Houston Spaceport.
Houston’s space industry grew substantially after President Lyndon B. Johnson successfully secured a NASA facility for the region. The 10,000-acre Clear Lake City master-planned community developed around NASA’s campus and supports the area’s aerospace ecosystem.
May 20, 2021 Realty News Report. Copyright 2021.
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File: Collins Aerospace Constructing Campus at Houston Spaceport
File: (2) NASA. Collins Aerospace Constructing Campus. Clear Lake City. Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. Axiom Space. Bob Mitchell. Raytheon. Mario Diaz. Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Rendering: Courtesy Collins Aerospace