AUSTIN, Texas - Governor Greg Abbott announced Friday, the appointment of Arturo Machuca to the Aerospace and Aviation Advisory Committee. Machuca, Director of Ellington Airport and the Houston Spaceport for the Houston Airport System, will assist in the state’s economic development efforts to recruit and retain aerospace and aviation jobs and investments in Texas.

Under the Texas statute, members of the advisory committee, which is within the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, will make specific recommendations to the Texas Legislatures and the governor for the growth of both industries. The committee will also determine the appropriate level of funding for the spaceport trust fund and will partner with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to strengthen higher education programs that support aerospace activities.

Machuca’s appointment to the advisory role is fitting as Houston continues to blaze trails for aerospace and aviation. A trio of state-of-the-art campuses at the Houston Spaceport are helping to create 1,800 jobs. The Houston Spaceport is already partnering with San Jacinto College to educate and train future aerospace engineers and scientists through the Edge Center at the Houston Spaceport. Machuca and Houston Airports are working with other universities to expand the direct connection between Houstonians the nation’s latest space race.

“I’m honored to have been appointed by Governor Abbott to serve the great State of Texas,” said Machuca of his appointment which will expire September 1, 2023.

Machuca is also a member of the Houston Spaceport Development Corporation, Greater Houston Partnership Aerospace and Aviation Committee, and former Chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s US Spaceports Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. Machuca received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Hotels and Tourism Administration from Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico. 

About the Houston Spaceport | Owned and managed by the Houston Airport System, the Houston Spaceport has a clear goal to create a focal point for aerospace innovation with a cluster of aerospace companies that will lead the nation in the transition from a government-driven to a commercially-driven space program.  Licensed for horizontal launch by the FAA in 2015, the Houston Spaceport has worked to create meaningful, tangible value for our tenants and partners by ensuring our aerospace cluster offers the crucial tools and facilities to support aviation and space businesses.