When it comes to the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport, things are looking up, according to Jimmy Spence, marketing/business development specialist at the spaceport.  

 “Without question, property development has taken off and Houston is fast-becoming recognized as a surefire transportation hub of the present and the future,” Spence said. “The recent announcement with regard to Axiom coming to the Spaceport to build the world’s first commercial space station is an exciting next step and is exactly what was envisioned for the spaceport to be successful. We had a lot of visitors and positive overtures over the past few months – that vision is coming into clear focus.” 

“That vision” includes greatly enhancing Houston’s position in the aerospace community. Eventually, Spence said, aircraft for commercial space companies will take off from the Houston Spaceport and fly into space over the Gulf of Mexico.  

Before full-fledged space travel, Spence said he fully expects regular Spaceport scenarios in which hypersonic jets will take off from the Spaceport and arrive in Tokyo in two-and-one-half hours. 

The mission of the Houston Spaceport is to create a focal point for aerospace innovation with a collection of aerospace companies that will lead the U.S. in a transition from a government-driven to a commercially driven space program. 

That transition has clearly begun. In June 2020, business magnate Elon Musk’s SpaceX became the first commercial space company in the world to launch astronauts into Earth orbit and return them safely to Earth.  

“We are entering a new era of human spaceflight where NASA is no longer the purchaser, owner, and operator of all of the hardware,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said. “We are going to be a customer — one customer of many customers in a very robust commercial marketplace for human spaceflight to low Earth orbit." 

Buying a ticket to space was once farfetched science fiction. 

“Not anymore,” Spence said. “We are getting closer and closer each passing year. And to have a launch site in our own backyard – well, it couldn’t be more exciting for the people of Houston. And it couldn’t be more fitting for ‘Space City.’” 

The spaceport has a dedicated, state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control tower that has mission-control facilities for commercial spaceflight operations. 

The spaceport is also poised to provide economic growth for Houston. Houston Spaceport is only the 10th licensed spaceport in the country and is the first located near a major metropolitan area. Its proximity allows numerous and varied industries – medical, oil and gas, manufacturing and others - access to space applications-- that translates into more jobs. The Houston Spaceport already works collaboratively with NASA’s Johnson Space Center to expand Houston’s position in the aerospace community.  

“This is a key development as NASA’s resources and wealth of experiences become available for existing Houston Spaceport commercial partners,” said Houston Spaceport General Manager Arturo Machuca. 

Before joining Houston Airports, Spence was a marketing manager for the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, BAHEP, where he coordinated multistate advocacy efforts on behalf of the aerospace industry. He developed strong relationships with Houston Airports and throughout the country during his tenure. He assisted in getting the necessary funds to get the control tower built on Ellington.  

“There is so much to be truly excited about,” Spence said. “Axiom is coming, and Intuitive Machines, another spaceport tenant, is on track to be the first private U.S. company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Intuitive Machines is under contract with NASA to develop, launch and land its Nova-C spacecraft on the surface of the moon in 2021. We’ve worked hard and made some great progress.”  

In addition to Machuca and Pete Fress, Division Manager at Ellington and the Houston Spaceport, he said there were so many other professionals who have lent their expertise to making the progress possible. Among others, he touted the efforts of Airport Operations Managers Ray Harper, Mike Paul, and Sandra Favela. 

“The Houston Spaceport is really going to be the heartbeat of the efforts of the United States to continue its space exploration,” Spence said. “The Houston Spaceport is open for business, and business is good. Yes, things are clearly looking up!”