AUSTIN, TX, SEPT 17, 2012 – The Texas Space Alliance (TXA) is proud to announce our 2013 Texas Legislative Agenda. The TXA began last year with a legislative victory, assisting Blue Origin with a Space Flight Limited Liability Law, and is now ready to help Texas ‘up the ante’ to help achieve goals in space worthy of our Great State. The Limited Liability Law, similar to one passed in Virginia, was a starting point to remake Texas into the undisputed leader in the development of space enterprises at the State level.

Bob Lancaster, TXA President commented: “Texas already leads the nation in attracting all sectors of businesses from outside our state with its current palette of low taxes, reasonable regulatory environment, and business friendly mindset. But when it comes to the emerging commercial space industry, the state has only just recently begun to add the necessary tools to the toolkit; and that’s what this 2013 legislative agenda aims to do.”

Since its inception, the TXA has worked with representatives of the commercial space firms to develop a responsive agenda and built ties with officials in Austin and around the state, laying the groundwork for a strategy to make Texas into a universally recognized ‘Space State’, and an unqualified leader in space activities and education.

NewSpace companies, both in and outside Texas, have long viewed the potential of the Lone Star State. The activities of new commercial space companies inside of Texas have also succeeded in gaining the attention of and are exciting new business ventures from inside our established space companies here in Texas. This means Texas business leaders in all space arenas are now beginning to fully recognize the breadth of potential that Texas represents, and act on that potential.

TXA’s Policy Director Wayne Rast concluded: “We have a very ambitious agenda for the next legislature, and it contains very timely items that will both enable necessary actions and develop new functions, along with sending a clear signal that Texas is ‘Open for Space business.’ Our meeting with the Governor and his office this summer, along with more than a dozen leading members of this new industry, show that this area is being engaged by officials and business leaders at the top levels. I’m proud that TXA, these far-sighted leaders, and so many more are working together, and taking strong steps toward making Texas into the premier space locale of the 21st century. Though there remains much work to be done, we have had a tremendous beginning. We look forward to a very successful Texas legislative session in 2013.”

Download the Full 2013 ‘Space for Texas’ Campaign here.

TXA Brings Together Texas Governor and Private Space Leaders
Groundbreaking meeting brings Texas closer to becoming Gateway to the Stars!

AUSTIN, TX, JULY 18, 2012 – The Texas Space Alliance (TXA) and the office of the Speaker of the House are pleased to announce the meeting in Austin between Governor Rick Perry and numerous representatives of the nation’s top new commercial space firms. The TXA team brought together representatives from SpaceX, XCOR Aerospace, Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC), Armadillo Aerospace, NanoRacks, Celestis, and ATK Liberty to talk about the needs of Commercial Space, and what Texas can do to fully embrace and nurture this vital, fledgling new industry.

“We’ll defer to historians on where this goes in the books, but this is the first time ever that representatives from so many commercial (NewSpace) firms have gathered in one place to share their support for our shared vision for the future of Texas in space, and communicate that to the Governor,” said Bob Lancaster, TXA President. “Definitely a significant milestone in the history of Texas.”

Over the past year the TXA, members of the legislature, and the Governor’s staff have begun to forge a new set of partnerships, between federal, state and local governments and those who are ready to step up in the private sector – with the shared goal of lowering costs, creating wealth and jobs and re-casting how Texas “does space”. In the last legislative session TXA partnered with Blue Origin and helped pass a landmark tort reform bill as a first step in this journey. Meanwhile, the Governor’s staff has been working to bring new space firms to Texas and open new facilities here including spaceports. In the next legislative session TXA will build on the steps already taken and the hard work performed by the Governor and his staff to create the tools and find the funds needed to transform Texas into not only the leading “Space State” in America, but a leader in the world.

TXA’s Director of Policy and Government Relations Wayne Rast commented: “This is a meeting that our organization has long sought, and we are very pleased to be able to announce it today as the formal kick-off of our ‘Space for Texas’ campaign. We appreciate both the Governor and the Space business leaders that brought it to fruition, and who share our vision that our Great State can be the leader in Commercial Space. We hope this is the first of many meetings that lead to a thriving space industry and community in our state. Certainly after today it has been made emphatically clear that ‘Texas is Open for Space Business!’”

From the current Texas NewSpace companies; Armadillo, NanoRacks, Celestis, SNC, and ATK, to the recent SpaceX interest to expand from their McGregor engine test site to a possible launch site near Brownsville and last week’s announcement by XCOR that they are moving their R&D to Midland, it is clear commercial space efforts in Texas are on the uptick as these companies see what Texas has to offer. The TXA intends to serve as a catalyst to facilitate and accelerate this process.

TXA’s Rick Tumlinson concluded: “We can make Texas the best state possible for space activities; commercial, educational, and scientific. The future looks bright! New jobs, new breakthroughs and new inspiration for the youth of Texas lie just ahead – and yes, someday we believe there will be rocketships flying from the Lone Star to Mars!”

Link to downloadable document.

Texas Space Alliance would like to formally congratulate SpaceX on all of their efforts during this mission. The full press release can be found here.

The Texas Space Alliance announced Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Robert Lancaster is assuming the role of President of the organization today. The group worked last year with commercial spaceflight operators, such as Blue Origin, to pass the first space liability protection law in Texas history, and is preparing for a new set of initiatives it will be introducing in the next legislative session.

“Col. Lancaster is stepping in at exactly the right moment to help lead what we believe will be a historic charge into the future for Texas and space,” said Rick Tumlinson, TXA Founder. “He has been with us from the beginning, he knows the field and he is a professional of the first degree.”

Press Release

Show your support of the TXA wherever you go with our ‘Space for Texas’ mugs and ‘From Texas to the Stars’ bumper stickers!

Available through CafePress here

The Texas Space Alliance welcomes home its Executive Director, Bob Lancaster, after a lengthy military deployment. Bob, a Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF, will be retiring from active duty at the end of the month. We congratulate Lt Col Lancaster on a successful career and look forward to his energy, talent, and skill helping the TXA succeed in our mission.

The Texas Space Alliance urged government leaders at all levels to support efforts to build a Texas Orbital Space Port and redouble any efforts now underway to recruit commercial space firms to operate in Texas and fly from the Lone Star State’s southern coast.
Space port Press Release

While we’re not a jobs site, we can at least give our supporters a common place to meet if they’re looking for employment (or prospective employees!)
Our LinkedIn page.

Time to End Pork Barrel Monster Rocket and Expensive Russian Space Ferry

AUSTIN, TX, SEPT 1, 2011 – The Texas Space Alliance (TXA) urged Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and the rest of the Texas Congressional delegation to give their full support to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s call for transferring funding to American spacecraft companies and end plans for a giant “pork” rocket being promoted by the Senator and others.

On Wednesday, 24 Aug 2011, Rep. Rohrabacher (R-CA) boldly called for an emergency funding transfer of NASA’s unobligated funds into their commercial crew program in response to the failure of a Russian Soyuz rocket to deliver a Progress supply freighter to the International Space Station (ISS).

“This funding transfer will rapidly accelerate the progress of American companies currently developing innovative crew and cargo transport vehicles here in the United States – all of which are based in or have significant and expanding operations in Texas,” said TXA’s Rick Tumlinson. “These companies; SpaceX, Boeing, Sierra Nevada, and Blue Origin are leading a revolution, and they need to see our legislators fighting for them – not against them.”

The TXA believes Congress should cancel plans for what many are now calling the Senate Launch System (SLS), a $38 billion dollar earmark to produce a giant government rocket not due to fly until 2021 – if ever. SLS would cannibalize funds previously intended for other projects, including many based at Johnson Space Center. It would also gut the aforementioned commercial crew programs intended to create a new US commercial space fleet to carry astronauts to the space station rather than outsourcing the job to Russian government vehicles.

“While it is well meant attempt to save jobs, it seems doomed to fail in the end – something our workers, space program and taxpayers cannot afford…literally.” said TXA’s Wayne Rast. “SLS may even starve the space station – a Houston based program – eat exploration technology dollars that would be spent right here, and force our Texas-based Astronaut corps to fly to space on Russian rockets. SLS would be better off de-funded so that money can be spent on true American innovation and progress. Let’s keep our Texas workforce on the leading edge of tomorrow, and build that future in Texas.”

Concluded Tumlinson: “Senator Hutchison, you and others can continue to force funding for dead-end white collar “jobs” programs like SLS down NASA’s throat and continue exporting US jobs to Russia or you can support space exploration and our own private companies – who will preserve American leadership on the frontier, lead to the birth of a Texas NewSpace industry and progress for the state and for the nation. The people of Texas are watching.”

Download the press release here

This weekend, June 25, members of the Texas Space Alliance will be attending SpaceUP Houston. This is what is referred to as an unconference, in which the attendees are the speakers and it is an open stage. Here you can come out and support the NewSpace industry and network with fellow space enthusiasts. You can find more information about the conference here. There are still registration spots available!