Turner, Collins Aerospace break ground on new space incubator building to help Houston 'remain the brightest star in space'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Collins Aerospace executives broke ground June 7 on a new building at Houston Spaceport that will be part of an incubator to support spaceflight.

"Today, I was honored to join @CollinsAero for a groundbreaking ceremony for their new building at @AirportsHouston's Spaceport,” Turner said on Twitter. “This groundbreaking solidifies the advancements our city is making to bring the best talent which will help #Houston remain the brightest star in space."

As an anchor tenant at the eight-acre, 120,000-square-foot space incubator campus, Collins Aerospace will be eligible to receive up to $25.6 million in financing from Houston Airports for capital improvements, according to a company news release.

The incubator will support research into spaceflight and include a dedicated 10,000-square-foot area for collaboration between start-ups and universities on key space technology challenges, including robotics, medicine and additive manufacturing, the news release said.

A long-term goal of the partnership between the City of Houston and the aerospace industry is to launch aircraft into space from the Gulf of Mexico, Houston Public Media reported.

“Collins Aerospace is a great fit at Houston Spaceport,” Houston Airports Director Mario Diaz said in a recent press release. “The partnership is a key element to realizing the importance of Houston Spaceport — a center for collaboration and innovation where the brightest minds in the world can lead us beyond the next frontier of space exploration.”

Turner also emphasized that the incubator and expansion of Houston’s aerospace sector are just part of a much broader plan that includes developing other high-tech industries including manufacturing, logistics and robotics in order to “build a city that's futuristic,” Houston Public Media reported.