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Texas is Planning to Make a Huge Public Investment in Space

posted by hubie on Thursday February 23, @02:10AM   

upstart writes:

"Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation":

Everything is bigger in Texas, or so the saying goes. When it comes to investing in commercial space, it just might be true.

As part of the state's biennial budget process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called on the state legislature to provide $350 million to create and fund a Texas Space Commission for the next two years.

"With companies seeking to expand space travel in coming years, continued development of the space industry in the state will ensure Texas remains at the forefront not only in the United States, but the entire world," Abbott stated in his budget document for the 88th Legislature. "Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation and development in this rapidly growing industry. Due to increased competition from other states and internationally, further planning and coordination is needed to keep Texas at the cutting edge."

Texas has a historic budget surplus this year due to oil prices, inflation, and other factors driving economic growth. The state is projected to have $188.2 billion available in general revenue for funding the business of the state over the 2024–2025 period, a surplus of $32.7 billion over spending during the previous two years.

[...] According to this document, the commission would "focus on policy and arranging statewide strategy by monitoring local, state, and federal policies and opportunities and establishing an economic ecosystem for Texas' space enterprises." It would include 15 members, including those appointed by political officials, as well as an appointee each from SpaceX and Blue Origin.

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Original Submission

• business environment > a commission business environment > a commission (Score: 2, Insightful) by khallow on Thursday February 23, @02:26AM (2 children)

  by khallow (3766) on Thursday February 23, @02:26AM (#1293091) Journal

  Texas didn't attract SpaceX with commission money, but a combination of a good general environment for the company and one of the better launch locations in the continental US. It is possible that the commission could be used as a means to get feedback on how to make Texas's business environment better, but it could also be just another outlet for corruption.
  
  For example, SpaceX's original presence in Texas (and the first permanent location outside of California IIRC) is near Waco, Texas between Dallas and Austin with a rocket engine test facility. They were able to pick up land cheap near major urban centers, lower cost of living, and not have to deal with the morass of California regulations and lawsuit liability.

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• Re:business environment > a commission Re:business environment > a commission (Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday February 23, @03:05PM (1 child)

  by DannyB (5839) on Thursday February 23, @03:05PM (#1293135) Journal

  Be careful what you wish for. As population density increases the color of the state goes from red to purple to blue. Maybe due to less oxygen in the blood.

  --
  The anti vax hysteria didn't stop, it just died down.

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  • Re:business environment > a commission (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday February 23, @03:56PM

    by khallow (3766) on Thursday February 23, @03:56PM (#1293138) Journal

    Then other states will have a chance to pull some Texans. The nice thing about federation governments is that no state is a failure mode for the country (unless it's huge compared to the rest of the country like Prussia in the Weimar Republic was).

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