HOUSTON, Texas — San Jacinto College and Houston Airport System, Houston City Council,
Federal Aviation Administration, and community and project partners gathered on June
26, 2019, to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport.
Work is already underway at the development site, which will sit on 154 acres at Ellington
Airport. The Houston Spaceport is the 10th commercial spaceport license in the U.S. awarded by the FAA. The project scope includes
providing streets, water, wastewater, electrical power distribution facilities, and
fiber optic and communications facilities necessary to attract future development.
As the official education training partner for the Houston Spaceport, the San Jacinto
College EDGE Center will offer four initial training programs:
Besides these programs, the College will offer customized and individualized training
based on spaceport partners' needs.
"We are excited for this opportunity," said San Jacinto College Chancellor Dr. Brenda Hellyer. "We look forward to creating an educational space that will support and enhance
the workforce needs of current and future businesses in the Houston Spaceport. We
thank the City of Houston, the Houston Airport System, and the Bay Area Houston Economic
Partnership for working with us to make this EDGE Center a reality."
Phase 1 of the Houston Spaceport project offers potential tenants and partners a unique
environment in which to collaborate, as well as an operational platform to achieve
critical business objectives. By housing organizations from across several industries
and disciplines on one campus, the "innovation incubator" concept will foster and
accelerate key aerospace engineering activities including: component and composite
development and fabrication, space vehicle assembly, zero-gravity scientific and medical
experiments, microsatellite deployment, astronaut training and development, and space
tourism.
"Once completed, Phase 1 will stand ready to encourage even more progress to help
companies with development of satellite technologies, drone technology, and urban
air mobility initiatives," said Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz. "And beyond
technology, it will help develop the talent to drive innovation forward. San Jacinto
College is taking steps to open an aerospace workforce training center here, providing
a talent pipeline that will help attract companies to Houston."
Eventually, when all 450 acres at Ellington Airport available to the project are fully
developed, the Houston Spaceport will become a focal point in the region for aerospace
research, manufacturing, and commercial space operations.
About San Jacinto College
Surrounded by monuments of history, industries, and maritime enterprises of today,
and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the citizens of East
Harris County, Texas, since 1961. The College is fiscally sound, holding bond ratings
of AA and Aa2 by Standard & Poor's and Moody's. San Jacinto College is a 2019 Aspen
Prize for Community College Excellence Top 10 institution, a 2017 Aspen Prize Rising
Star Award recipient, and an Achieving the Dream Leader College. The College serves
approximately 45,000 credit and non-credit students annually, and offers eight areas
of study that put students on a path to transfer to four-year institutions or enter
the workforce. San Jacinto College's impact on the region totals $1.3 billion in added
income, which supports 13,044 jobs.
For more information about San Jacinto College call 281-998-6150, visit sanjac.edu or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.