Texas Space Commission survey about how to strengthen state's space business open through mid-December.
The Texas Space Commission is seeking public input for its strategic plan to strengthen the state’s space industry. Since being launched earlier this year, the commission has been hiring staff and organizing to oversee millions in state funding and develop a plan to ensure Texas is well-positioned for the quick-growing space economy.
Part of its effort includes learning what the state needs and where the commission should focus its attention, so it’s developed a 10-question survey for public comment that’ll be open through mid-December. It can be found online at https://exne.ws/tsc. RELATED: Texas Space Commission’s search for ideas comes to San Antonio More than 150 people, including community leaders and industry professionals, have weighed in so far, Andres Ramos, a commission spokesman, said Monday. “After the public comment period ends in mid-December, the board will package up their final product and send it to the Legislature by Dec. 31,” he said in an e-mail. The survey asks open-ended questions about what to include in the plan, which aspects of space exploration to focus on, gaps in Texas’ space-related economy, regulatory and legal hurdles, which market segments should be included, goals for the commission, ideas for a seal or logo, other state agencies that should be involved and “big opportunities” on the horizon. “People are really putting thought and careful consideration into the feedback they are providing,” Ramos said. “Ideas have ranged from how to play a larger role in deep space missions, new approaches to investment and leasing, innovations in safety and healthcare technology and sustainable energy systems critical in orbit and here on earth.” Highways too Earlier this month, the commission partnered with TxDOT to gather public input on state highway infrastructure needed to support the space industry. That survey closed Wednesday. The need for adequate roadways to support space operations has come into stark focus along Texas 4, the two-lane highway from Brownsville to Boca Chica Beach and SpaceX’s South Texas rocket operation. The commercial space company has brought heavy traffic to the narrow road. Heavy equipment, a constant flow of semis and more tourists have left Texas 4 full of potholes and susceptible to frequent backups as crews move equipment and rocket parts. READ MORE: SpaceX is expanding its McGregor rocket engine test facility, adding a pool at Starbase Starbase and local government leaders have been vying for improvements. In April, Kathy Lueders, Starbase general manager and member of the Space Commission’s board of directors, spoke about Texas 4’s importance to Starbase and the need to improve it during a TxDOT Border Trade Advisory Committee meeting in Brownsville. “We’re also getting our utilities in place for us to be able to minimize some of that traffic, but Highway 4 is still our major artery for our materials coming in and out,” she said. TxDOT is working several projects to improve and eventually expand Texas 4. “It’s unreal, the amount of traffic,” Pedro ‘Pete’ Alvarez, TxDOT’s Pharr district engineer, told the Rio Grande Guardian at the time. “And it’s not just regular vehicular traffic. We’ve seen an increase in overweight, oversize, large trucks, rocket ships, all sorts of things that are coming into the area.” The Space Commission hopes to mitigate such growing pains for other space-related businesses by looking at what the industry needs now and in the future.
Spacex Mid-December Txdot Txdot Border Trade Advisory Committee Legislature Rio Grande Guardian Kathy Lueders Andres Ramos Pedro 'Pete' Alvarez Texas 4 Brownsville South Texas Highway 4 San Antonio Boca Chica Beach Pharr Starbase Starbase Mcgregor Https://Exne.Ws/Tsc Starbase
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