The Texas Space Commission (TSC) board of directors recently voted to approve grant applications that total $26 million for five proposed projects, designed to stimulate the state’s space industry. Four of the five were approved unanimously.
“This is a pivotal moment in strengthening and accelerating the Texas space economy,” said Gwen Griffin, chair of the TSC board. “The projects awarded funding today will each play a critical role in ensuring Texas’ place as a leader in the emerging space economy while expanding our capabilities as a nation.”
The five companies winning grants were:
- Aegis Aerospace received $10 million for an advanced materials manufacturing platform for in-space applications.
- ICON Technology received $694,350 to renovate a facility for production of lunar regolith simulant for use for its own tests of advanced construction technologies as well as for others.
- Interlune received $4.84 million for a lunar regolith simulant “center of excellence” that will be located at the new Texas A&M Space Institute, a facility under construction on the grounds of the Johnson Space Center.
- KULR Technology Group received $6,703,500 for work on batteries with improved performance at low temperatures.
- Venus Aerospace Corporation received $3.9 million for a rocket engine test facility at the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport to support the company’s work on hypersonic vehicles as well as other users.
“The projects awarded funding today will each play a critical role in ensuring Texas’ place as a leader in the emerging space economy while expanding our capabilities as a nation,” Gwen Griffin, chair of the board of the Texas Space Commission, said in a statement.
Previously, TSC awarded $21.5 million to four projects on Jan. 24th and $47.7 million to five projects on February 25th for a total of $69.2 million. These recent awards total $26 million bringing the total awards granted to $95.3 million for 14 projects. A $54.7 million balance remains available in the Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) for future awards.