Collins Aerospace Breaks Ground

Houston Spaceport happily welcomes new major player

By Mary Alys Cherry

Collins Aerospace got quite a welcome from Houston’s Spaceport when it hosted the groundbreaking for its 120,000-square-foot campus that will support spaceflight and house Houston’s first spaceflight incubator.

Held inside Lone Star Flight Museum to avoid the rain the weather forecasters had promised but never came, the event drew dozens of elected officials and Bay Area businessmen and women, eager to see the proposed $25.6 million facility go up at the Spaceport. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner headed a crowd that included Congressman Randy Weber, State Sen. Larry Taylor, State Rep. Dennis Paul and Houston Mayor Pro tem Dave Martin, plus a number of Houston city councilors and representatives of Sens. John

State Sen. Larry Taylor, from left, and State Rep. Dennis Paul share a light moment with Keith Graf, director of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, as they await the start of the Collins Aerospace event. State Sen. Larry Taylor, from left, and State Rep. Dennis Paul share a light moment with Keith Graf, director of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, as they await the start of the Collins Aerospace event.

Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Others included Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche and UHCL President Dr. Ira Blake and Bay Area Houston Economic Development President Bob Mitchell.

ANCHOR TENANT

As an anchor tenant of Houston Spaceport, Collins, a unit of Raytheon Technologies, will house the incubator. With work already under way, Collins plans to complete construction by the end of next year. It will be built on 8.3 acres in the south quadrant of the Ellington Airport and will provide space for both manfacturing and office workers. Collins also has a facility in Houston that develops and produces systems for NASA’s human-manned space flight programs. It currently is at capacity. “Houston is globally recognized for taking on humankind’s boldest challenges,” Mayor Turner told the crowd. “In December we announced that the world’s first commercial space station will be built by Axiom Space right here at the Spaceport. And today, we are building on that momentum with the addition of Collins Aerospace – a company that’s redefining aerospace through technology and boundless imagination.”

A company that produces space suits, space wheels, high tech optical products for satellites and even produced the radio Neil Armstrong used on the Moon to broadcast those famous words, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” back to Earth, the mayor added. “The 21st century space economy is expected to be a trillion-dollar industry, and I’m proud to say Houston is leading the way and is doing more than any other spaceport in the nation to attract the best of the best.”

Bay Area Houston Economic Development President Bob Mitchell told the crowd how “BAHEP has been working hard at economic development for the past 45 years, and I can positively state that today is one of the best days in the last 45 years for the entire Houston region, for the aerospace industry in Houston, certainly for Collins Aerospace, and for the citizens and future aerospace workers of the City of Houston.

TAKING OFF

“Today, Collins Aerospace is bringing another great aerospace accomplishment to Ellington, an installation which has such a rich heritage. Ellington was licensed to become the nation’s 10th spaceport in 2015, the only spaceport immediately adjacent to a major metropolitan area.

Now, just a few short years later and after a lot of hard work, planning, and investments, things are really taking off for the Houston Spaceport.” The new Spaceport tenants are expected to provide between 1,400 and 1,500 jobs.

Other speakers included Collins Aerospace Vice President and General Manager Allen Flynt, Houston Airport Director Mario Diaz and Houston Spaceport Director Arturo Machuca.