Misbah Aziz

6th Period
ISM

Houston Spaceport adding new tenants, releasing plans for Phase 2 development in
2023

ABC 13 January 31, 2023

Summary:

In 2023, the Houston Spaceport will be expanding to include more companies

that will be moving in. The Spaceport is located next to Ellington Airport and has three
major tenants. Most of the space is office spaces as well as a launching and landing site
for suborbital vehicles. In September 2022 Collins Aerospace, who creates spacesuits
for NASA began operating out of the spaceport. Axiom Space, the company building the
first commercial space station, is building a large facility in the port as is Intuitive
Machines who are building a lunar lander. The Spaceport will also eventually include
smaller companies and startups. The next phase of the Spaceport includes expanding
the previous infrastructure and constructing a full-length taxiway. The Spaceport is
currently 140 acres though only a small portion of the land has been developed so far.
The Houston area is said to see the benefits of the new developments in the economy
over the next decade.

Project Topic Connection:

My project focuses on a project with a similar purpose at NASA. The NASA

Office of Planning, Integration, and Environmental handles developed similar to the
Spaceport. Although the Spaceport is not a NASA project, it influences NASA projects
and development. Many of the Spaceport companies are NASA contractors and are
building facilities that would also value NASA. For example Collins Aerospace has
“received task orders from NASA” and many other companies are building resources
that others could use. The facilities that will already exist there amongst their
contractors influence the expansions they plan on their own sites. My project also
focuses on urban design and architecture in relation to aerospace. At the Houston
Spaceport, aerospace companies in the private sector are building research facilities,
launch sites, and office space and creating a development similar to the NASA center.
While looking at ideas for the Johnson Space Center, for my project I can take
inspiration from the plans for the Houston Spaceport.

Personal Response:

After reading the article, I was very interested to see how the expansion of the
Spaceport will affect the Greater Houston Area and the general population. I also
thought that more aerospace companies coming into Houston would mean more jobs
and more people moving into this area. The article made me feel proud to live in
Houston as it has become a center of space exploration that includes more companies
besides NASA. The article did not evoke many emotions because its primary purpose
was to inform the audience, not to persuade them or move them into feeling a certain
 Misbah Aziz
6th Period
ISM

way. After I read the article some thoughts I had were what other companies will be
moving into that area and how long development might take. I was also wondering how
this project originated and who initiated this idea. I’m also not sure if the land is owned
by the government or not since much of it is still undeveloped. Something the article did
not mention was whether NASA would also be developing in that area. I’m interested to
see if they will also be building a facility there or if they have plans to collaborate more
with the companies that are moving in there.

Link:

https://abc13.com/houston-spaceport-expansion-space-technology-phase-2-plans-
aerospace-companies/12754822/

Citation:

Farmer, Renee. “Houston Spaceport Adding New Tenants, Releasing Plans for Phase 2
Development in 2023.” ABC13 Houston, ABC, 31 Jan. 2023,
abc13.com/houston-spaceport-expansion-space-technology-phase-2-plans-
aerospace-companies/12754822/.