COLLEGE STATION, TX — The Board of Regents of the Texas A&M University system recently approved the creation of the Texas A&M Space Institute and the construction of a Texas A&M facility next to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; the university announced last week.
In a press release announced on Wednesday, August 16, Texas A&M plans to move forward with the project after a $350 million investment in the field came from the Texas Legislature. Earlier this year, State Representative Greg Bonnen, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, authored House Bill 3447 to create the Texas Space Commission, the Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium.
Part of that measure allocates $200 million to Texas A&M for the construction of a facility at the Johnson Space Center.
“The Texas A&M Space Institute will make sure the state expands its role as a leader in the new space economy,” John Sharp, chancellor of the Texas A&M System, said. “No university is better equipped for aeronautics and space projects than Texas A&M.”
Scientists and other personnel at the new $200 million facility will support mission training, aeronautics research, advanced robotics, and work on lunar and Martian exploration.
Texas A&M University is a Space Grant university. A Space Grant university works to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA's aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts.
NASA's Johnson Space Center
(Credit: nasa.gov)
A&M employs four astronauts on the faculty. Scientists and engineers from Texas A&M have participated in all NASA rover missions to Mars, with two scientists active on NASA’s Perseverance Rover Team. Plus, more than 280 faculty and investigators from Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station and Texas A&M AgriLife Research are involved in space-related research.
Texas A&M’s students, faculty and researchers are currently working on more than 300 space-related projects. Competitive funding awards at Texas A&M have come from NASA and other government agencies, as well as grants from the commercial space industry. They have exceeded $25 million per year for the last five years.
Interdisciplinary space-related research occurs in more than 12 colleges/schools across Texas A&M University in College Station, and other System universities, including Prairie View A&M University and Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, have subject matter experts in space-related research.
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