What readers need to know
JLL, a real estate company based in Chicago with locations across the country, has been selected to lead the effort to fill out Exploration Park with a number of partners and businesses, according to a Feb. 25 news release from those involved with the development.
The development is being led by the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation, which picked JLL to help lease out the properties, according to the release.
JLL will be part of the effort to lease up to 22 buildings set to be built out at the site, with each building ranging from 15,000 square feet to 500,000 square feet, according to the release. Those buildings in several instances will be built to suit the entity moving into it.
The background
Exploration Park is an industrial park under development right outside of Johnson Space Center, Community Impact previously reported. It will include companies, partners and other entities involved in space exploration, research, technology development and manufacturing, among several other services.
The center is one of many ongoing developments and projects to continue to bolster Houston’s aerospace industry, with officials over the past several years making an effort to marry private and public industries, as well as educational partners, to boost research and capabilities related to space exploration and human spaceflight.
Other such examples include the Houston Spaceport near Ellington Airport, which has seen several space-centered companies set up their headquarters there. It also sits near the new Exploration Park, Community Impact has previously reported.
NASA selected ACMI in March to help build out the facilities, Community Impact previously reported. ACMI specializes in manufacturing, property management, capital investment, and strengthening both supply chains and national security.
Quote of note
JLL Senior Managing Director Richard Quarles said in the release there is “no better place” for the future of space exploration than Johnson Space Center.
“We are thrilled to be a part of this development and know this will be a one-of-a-kind opportunity for businesses looking to make a lasting impact, whether it be through research and development or manufacturing,” Quarles said in the release.
Remember this?
The cornerstone project of the new Exploration Park will be the new Texas A&M Space Institute, which, among other things, will host the nation’s largest simulated lunar scape and Mars scape.
That project broke ground in November and construction is expected to begin in the early part of 2025, with work wrapping up roughly 18 months later.
