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  #1  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2013, 2:06 AM
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Houston Spaceport

Quote:
Originally Posted by PR Newswire
Houston Airports Unveil First Look at Proposed Spaceport

The Houston Airport System unveiled part of its vision for the future of Ellington Airport (EFD) today, as conceptual renderings of a possible Spaceport were released to the public. The design/drawings capture various elements of the overall project, including a terminal facility, an aviation museum and the accompanying aerospace industries that would most certainly arrive should Houston become the nation's ninth licensed Spaceport.

Houston City Council members agreed with that assessment on July 17, 2013, when they voiced their overwhelming support for the pursuit of Spaceport licensing at Ellington Airport. Should the required licensing be secured, the Houston Airport System (HAS) would move forward in establishing the required infrastructure and support facilities needed to accommodate enterprises such as space vehicle assembly, launching of micro-satellites, Astronaut training, zero gravity experimentation and space tourism.

"It's important to realize that this type of work is already taking place today," said Houston Aviation Director Mario C. Diaz. "This is not a conversation based on science fiction or futuristic projections. This is a conversation about how Houston can access and enhance an industry that is already well-established and growing exponentially."

The city of Houston stands as an ideal location for a future Spaceport, featuring a booming economy with a strong aerospace industrial base, a well educated workforce with experience in the high-tech demands of space exploration and plenty of room for growth at a strategically located airport facility.

Situated near the Gulf of Mexico, with ample available space for development, Ellington Airport seems tailor-made for the requirements that are associated with an operating licensed Spaceport. Diaz says licensing from the FAA could come as soon as next year.






























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  #2  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2013, 3:16 AM
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Love it!
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  #3  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2013, 3:34 AM
JoninATX JoninATX is offline
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I thought the one in New Mexico was massive. This one takes the cake!!!

Last edited by JoninATX; Sep 5, 2013 at 4:59 AM.
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Old Posted Sep 5, 2013, 4:52 AM
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Here are video animations showing the spaceport

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3gunfiy7h...tion%20Video#/
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  #5  
Old Posted Sep 5, 2013, 5:30 AM
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Wow this is incredible.
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  #6  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 4:47 AM
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Here are some new Spaceport Rendering's I found.













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  #7  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 5:37 AM
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The video link where I got the rendering:

https://vimeo.com/73644437
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  #8  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 9:10 AM
inSaeculaSaeculorum inSaeculaSaeculorum is offline
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looks like a boring office park.
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  #9  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 9:32 AM
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Boring? Even the terminal? I happen to like it, also note that the renderings are not fully complete.
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  #10  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 10:36 AM
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the terminal is ok, but yeah the rest is pretty outer loop office parky.

the idea behind it is, of course, incredibly exciting.
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  #11  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 11:44 AM
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Quote:
looks like a boring office park. .


Typical American way of thinking.

Design looks fantastic and it's a real refreshment in the old and backward America, which unfortunately has become in the last few decades. Indeed, I hope this is just the beginning of modernization of the entire U.S. and the first American step to have the infrastructure that befits a developed economy, not a third world one!

Although knowing how things work in this country, the budget will be trimmed down certainly at some point, meaning the plan could be reduced due to chronic lack of funds!

Still, amazing project guys!
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  #12  
Old Posted Sep 8, 2013, 8:09 PM
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^ what the hell?? nice 3rd post lol!
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  #13  
Old Posted May 16, 2023, 1:38 PM
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Didn't realize there was an existing thread for this development.

There is a website as the Spaceport is part of the Houston Airport System.

A lot has changed as the commercial spaceflight section that is the first phase is nearing completion. The spaces for collaboration between universities and their aerospace training programs are now being planned as part of the second phase, with Texas Southern University's facility being the most prominent at the moment.

Here are a few bits from a December 2022 presentation from the Airport System.

Overall Site Plan



Academic Area and Hub Site for Multiple Institutions. TSU will have a standalone building that is highlighted.



Aerospace Hub





https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/education/article/houston-airports-tsu-aviation-training-facility-18076768.php



Quote:
Houston airports to build $5M training facility for Texas Southern aviation students

Samantha Ketterer,
Staff writer
May 6, 2023
Updated: May 9, 2023 6:08 p.m.

The city of Houston will develop a $5 million training facility for future pilots studying at Texas Southern University.

Houston City Council approved a five-year lease agreement between Houston Airports and the HBCU on Wednesday, setting in motion the development of a 2-acre site at Ellington Airport’s Houston Spaceport.

The new Aviation Education Facility will include a 22,000-square-foot aircraft hangar, as well as training and classroom space, an above-ground aviation fuel tank, vehicle parking and a 20,000 square foot apron, also referred to as the “tarmac.”

“We are honored to be the first tenants in this new lease space,” said Terence Fontaine, TSU’s executive director of aviation. “This opportunity provides an enhanced environment for student learning opportunities as we work to address our nation’s critical aviation needs. Furthermore, it provides space for our fleet of eight aircraft to be housed inside and protected from weather conditions, thus allowing us to preserve them for extended use.”

TSU will have the right of first refusal to renew the contract at the end of five years, Fontaine said. Construction could begin this summer for an estimated opening in April 2024.
Renderings from the architect



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  #14  
Old Posted May 16, 2023, 2:18 PM
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https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...n-17920584.php



Quote:
NASA's Super Guppy aircraft lands at Ellington Field with a former space shuttle Multi-Purpose Logistic Module called "Raffaello" on Tuesday, April 25, 2023. This pressurized module, designed to fly in the space shuttle's cargo bay, will be repurposed by Houston-based Axiom Space into a Research and Manufacturing Facility for the commercial space station that it's building.

Axiom Space

Quote:
NASA's Super Guppy delivers space shuttle module for reuse on Axiom Space's commercial station

Andrea Leinfelder,
Staff writer
April 27, 2023
Updated: April 27, 2023 2:35 p.m.

NASA's Super Guppy aircraft landed Tuesday at Ellington Field in Houston with a piece of NASA history that will soon get a new life.

The plane's massive nose swung open to reveal a space shuttle Multi-Purpose Logistics Module. This pressurized module, called Raffaello, was used on four shuttle missions to transfer cargo and supplies to the International Space Station. Houston-based Axiom Space will now use it as a research and manufacturing facility for the commercial space station it's building.

"Large modules capable of withstanding the rigors of the space environment are challenging to build," Axiom Space Chief Technology Officer Matt Ondler said in a statement. "Using an existing module with flight heritage provided Axiom Space the ability to save costs and schedule."

Axiom Space is building a commercial space station, called Axiom Station, that will begin its life attached to the International Space Station. Axiom Space plans to launch its first module, an area with crew quarters and space for research and manufacturing, in late 2025. Then additional structures will be attached to that module. Eventually, they will separate from ISS and become a free-flying commercial space station.

Ondler said the upgraded Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, MPLM, should head into space by 2027 as the third module for Axiom Station.
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  #15  
Old Posted May 16, 2023, 2:30 PM
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A couple of excerpts on the recent overall developments from a piece on both the Spaceport and Space Center Houston.

https://communityimpact.com/houston/...lunar-mission/

Quote:
Ready to launch: Houston Spaceport, museum plan expansions as astronauts prep lunar mission

By Jake Magee | 12:02 PM May 15, 2023 CDT
Updated 12:02 PM May 15, 2023 CDT
...


Quote:
Phase 2 will be about 300 acres, and its infrastructure is estimated to cost $80 million. Expected to break ground in the next 12 to 18 months, Phase 2 will include parcels for other aerospace companies to locate to the spaceport. Machuca said spaceport officials are in “serious conversations” with three such undisclosed companies.

In addition, Phase 2 will include land for a hotel, restaurants and retail centers to make the spaceport a destination. The spaceport will eventually include a terminal that will allow residents to fly on hypersonic jets to reach faraway destinations in a fraction of the time it takes today, Machuca said.

Another unique project slated for Phase 2 is the Aerospace Institute.

At the EDGE Center within Phase 1 of the spaceport, San Jacinto College and other higher education institutions help train students how to work in the aerospace industry. The institute will be a continuation of that idea and involve more local colleges to make sure the spaceport has capacity to train the next generation of aerospace workers, Machuca said.
...

Quote:
Spaceport officials are already considering ways to expose the public to the spaceport.

The Houston Airport System, Harris County Precinct 2 and the city of Houston are working together on a project to build a road through the middle of the spaceport. This road would divert traffic from Space Center Boulevard through the spaceport to connect to Hwy. 3, Machuca said.

Today, Space Center Boulevard moves through residential areas, so this new road would not only divert ever-growing traffic through the spaceport but also expose commuters to it, he said.

Additionally, officials are considering a public transit hub to help further connect the spaceport to San Jacinto College where EDGE Center students attend college, the adjacent neutral buoyancy lab where astronauts train, and the Johnson Space Center where NASA employees work, Machuca said.

“We just don’t want to build a manufacturing site that doesn’t contribute positively to our community,” Machuca said.

Scott Spiegel, senior press secretary for Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, said Garcia recognizes the importance of the spaceport and surrounding area to the region’s future.

“He looks forward to working with the city of Houston and other local partners to determine that appropriate infrastructure needs in the region are met,” Spiegel said in a statement to Community Impact.

“Ellington Bypass Road could prove to be an important piece to the spaceport’s needs, and we look forward to seeing the city of Houston preliminary engineering report.”

Furthermore, work will soon begin on a new taxiway to the northwest of phases 1 and 2. This runway will allow aircraft to take off and land right next to aerospace companies, such as Axiom, which will use the taxiway to unload parts for the space station it is building, Machuca said.

Spaceport officials are on the verge of announcing the contractor for the taxiway project. The plan is to build the northern half of it to start at an estimated cost of $130 million, Machuca said.
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  #16  
Old Posted May 26, 2023, 4:26 PM
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Potential Texas A&M Aerospace Research Center at the Spaceport? Perhaps so...

c/o Texan on HAIF who writes...

Quote:
In the state budget released today, $350 million is included in it for the Texas Space Commission. $200 million of that is for Texas A&M to build a facility "adjacent to the Johnson Space Center". I think the most logical place for this is the spaceport since there is already a plan for a university facility there. Otherwise my next guess is Space Center Houston land. The enabling bill, HB 3447 has not yet passed and is in conference committee. If it does not become law, this all goes away.
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  #17  
Old Posted May 26, 2023, 7:32 PM
mhays mhays is offline
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This is pretty exciting. In 1977 I was promised a science fiction future (by Star Wars) and it hasn't happened, but we're finally making visible progress.

I wish we had a space port in the Seattle area, but it seems that rainy and cloudy doesn't cut it at least in this generation. A good chunk of the industry is here but that's not enough.

As for the campus, at least they could do sidewalks that aren't right up against high-speed stroad lanes.
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  #18  
Old Posted May 26, 2023, 8:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mhays View Post
This is pretty exciting. In 1977 I was promised a science fiction future (by Star Wars) and it hasn't happened, but we're finally making visible progress.

I wish we had a space port in the Seattle area, but it seems that rainy and cloudy doesn't cut it at least in this generation. A good chunk of the industry is here but that's not enough.

As for the campus, at least they could do sidewalks that aren't right up against high-speed stroad lanes.
We own a house almost right next door to NASA and this plus the Space Port would be great for the property value.
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  #19  
Old Posted May 27, 2023, 4:13 AM
mrnyc mrnyc is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc View Post
We own a house almost right next door to NASA and this plus the Space Port would be great for the property value.
if property values next to a seemingly to become much more active airport rose because of it that would be a first.
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  #20  
Old Posted May 28, 2023, 11:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrnyc View Post
if property values next to a seemingly to become much more active airport rose because of it that would be a first.
The proposed Texas A&M Aerospace Research Center and JSC are close to the house, the Space Port is several miles away at the existing Ellington Airfield. The impact of a nearby airport was already baked into the property values long ago.
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