Artwork depicting lunar mining operations for Helium-3 involving harvesters, a solar power plant, rovers and return launchers. Credit: Interlune
“Texas is leading the way by investing directly in its space companies. Arizona can’t afford to sit still. With TSMC’s investment supercharging our tech sector and a strong aerospace foundation already here, it’s time we step up and claim our place as a national leader in space innovation.” -Shruti Gurudanti, Rose Law Group partner and leader of the firm’s space law practice
By Space News
The Texas Space Commission has awarded more than $26 million to five companies in the latest round of awards designed to stimulate the state’s space industry.
The commission’s board approved the awards at an April 16 meeting. They come after awards made to five other companies in February and to four economic development and regional government organizations in January.
The five companies winning grants were:
- Aegis Aerospace, which received $10 million for an advanced materials manufacturing platform for in-space applications;
- ICON Technology, which 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, which 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, which received $6,703,500 for work on batteries with improved performance at low temperatures; and
- Venus Aerospace Corporation, which received $3.9 million for a rocket engine test facility at the Houston Spaceport at Ellington Airport to both support the company’s work on hypersonic vehicles as well as other users.
