What You Might Not Know About Houston's Spaceport

By Jay R. Jordan

Source Houston Chronicle (TNS)

July 8, 2021

2 min read

Jul. 7—Did you know Houston has its own spaceport?

With news of billionaires launching themselves into space, it's only a matter of time (trickle down, right?) before us plebs get the chance to reach for the stars. And thanks to the development going on at Houston's Ellington Field, that chance might come from the heart of Space City.

Already in its Phase I of development, the Houston Spaceport currently houses aerospace companies developing technology for space flight — including one company that plans on landing a rover on the moon in the coming months.

City council approved an $18.8 million boost to the spaceport to build more infrastructure surrounding the eastern edge of the airfield back in 2018, which is ongoing.

In the future, the spaceport hopes to attract more and more companies, including those that could travel to and from space.

With its military-grade runways, Ellington Field is perfect for space travel from vehicles that do vertical take-offs. The tower at the airport is also fitted to handle mission control operations for spaceflight, according to the spaceport website.

So while you might not be able to hitch a ride with Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos this time around, your trip into zero gravity could come sooner than you'd think.

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Would you ever travel to space? Let me know on Twitter: @jayrjordan

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