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Construction remains on schedule for the new Texas A&M Space Institute, Director Nancy Currie-Gregg said in an email Feb. 18.
What you need to know
The institute will be the first building in NASA’s new Exploration Park, a 240-acre commercial property with space-related goals neighboring NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The institute will serve as a resource for researchers to explore beyond the lower Earth orbit, back to the moon and on to Mars, according to documents from Texas A&M University.
To date, the institute has signed leases with U.S.-based robotics company Venturi Astrolab, which develops lunar rovers to operate on the moon’s surface, and Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines, which builds lunar landers and space systems for NASA.
Since the new institute broke ground in November 2024, “significant progress has been made,” Currie-Gregg said. This includes:
A closer look
The project will cost $200 million, which will be paid for through the state’s Texas Space Commission, which was passed in the 88th Texas Legislature and allotted $350 million for space programs in Texas, including $200 million for the institute, according to documents from the university.
The institute will be a 400,000 square foot, four-level facility, documents show.
While details were not disclosed about the fourth floor, the institute will include the following:
Looking ahead
The institute is slated to open in October, university documents note.
“One of the primary objectives for the Texas A&M University Space Institute is to engage with universities, commercial entities and government entities in space research,” Currie-Gregg said. “The idea is to be a vibrant collaboration hub for space research in the state of Texas.”
