
An effort that will make El Paso a major player in space innovation projects has taken a big step forward with the awarding of a nearly $20 million grant from the State of Texas.
What is being called the Space Innovation Hub could ultimately see the building of an aerospace center, most likely in downtown El Paso, that will focus on high-tech research and innovation while putting the metro area on the map “as a leader in the space industry.”
The project is the result of an ongoing collaborative effort between the Borderplex Alliance, the City of El Paso, and the State of Texas, among others, with funding coming directly from the newly formed Texas Space Commission.
In a statement, Gwen Griffin, chairperson of the Texas Space Commission, said the $19.7 million grant was going directly to the Borderplex Alliance, whose efforts center on regional economic development, to “assess the feasibility of an aerospace corridor” between El Paso County and the Midland Economic Development Corporation of Midland, Texas.
In the process, the effort will explore how “various regions in Texas can best engage with the burgeoning space economy.”
Grant funding from the commission is also seeing $800,000 going to El Paso County, $500,000 to the Concho Valley Council of Governments in San Angelo, and another $500,000 to the Lubbock-based South Plains Association of Governments.
The idea that almost any locality in Texas might have the potential to establish a space innovation hub resulted in some 285 requests being sent to the Texas Space Commission from 140 entities for grant funding.
February 3, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Pixabay