CLEAR LAKE – The Houston Spaceport along Space Center Blvd. has a major expansion underway as it enters its second phase.
Phase one, which entailed filling 150 acres with the necessary infrastructure to host aerospace companies, was completed in 2019 for $24 million.
Expected to break ground in the next two to 18 months, phase two will be about 300 acres, and its infrastructure is estimated to cost $80 million.
The project will include parcels for other aerospace companies to locate to the spaceport and land for a hotel, restaurant, and retail.
Additionally, the second phase will involve the development of the Aerospace Institute, an education institution to train aerospace workers.
A taxiway in the northwest of phases one and two that will allow aircraft to take off and land next to aerospace companies for unloading parts for their space stations is also under development.
Space Center Houston wants to construct the Lunar Mars Surface Integration Facility, two large, enclosed structures that will simulate the terrains of the moon and Mars. Visitors will be able to watch from an elevated exhibit hall as astronauts train within the two structures.
The new facility will add at least 60,000 sf of exhibit space to the existing 120,000 sf. It is expected to break ground in the next two years.