Jan. 14—The Spaceport Development Corporation of Cameron County has been awarded a $5 million Spaceport Trust Fund grant by the Governor's Office of Economic Development & Tourism.
The fund is aimed at supporting the infrastructure necessary for spaceport development in Texas. The amount is half of what the 87th Legislature appropriated for the fund for fiscal year 2022. The remainder was awarded to the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation.
County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. said the award is a welcome support for the goal of developing a space sector here.
"This award will continue to strengthen the economic impact and growing space industry blueprint already being made in Cameron County," he said.
The creation of jobs and opportunities related to the space industry — especially SpaceX — already have impacted the county's economic growth and development, Trevino said, expressing thanks to Gov. Greg Abbott for the funding, which is disbursed on a cost-reimbursement basis.
"For decades, Texas has been a trailblazer in space technology and we are proud to help cultivate more innovation and development in this growing industry in Cameron and Harris County," Abbott said in a press release. "This investment in the Cameron County and Houston Spaceport Development corporations will create even more economic opportunities for Texans across the state and continue our legacy as a leader in space technology."
Spaceport Trust Fund grants are available to any spaceport development corporation that has secured a "viable business entity ... capable of launching and landing a reusable launch vehicle or spacecraft and intends to locate its facilities at the development corporation's planned spaceport in the state." For Cameron County, that viable entity is SpaceX.
Nick Serafy, chairman of the county's spaceport development corporation, said the funding "is helping us provide the infrastructure for future launches from South Texas."
The Cameron County Spaceport Development Corporation was created in 2014 to facilitate development of the aerospace industry here. SpaceX broke ground at its Boca Chica site in September of that year.
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