Dare | Unite | Explore Marks a Milestone: Exploration Park Established

by Sumer Loggins | 2024-02-21

NASA and the Texas A&M University System announced an agreement Feb. 15, 2024, for underutilized land at Exploration Park, a 240-acre development at Johnson Space Center. This initiative represents a key achievement of Johnson Space Center’s 2024 Dare | Unite | Explore commitments, focused on remaining the hub of human spaceflight, developing strategic partnerships, and paving the way for a thriving space economy.

The A&M System is the first to develop on Johnson’s land to create a facility that propels human spaceflight research and bolsters the commercial space sector. The lease agreement opens the door for a collaborative development environment that increases commercial access and enhances the United States’ competitive edge in the space and aerospace industries. The park is envisioned as an innovative hub for space hardware development, fostering teamwork among academic scholars, aerospace enterprises, and innovators alongside NASA.

The launch of this ambitious project was announced by Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, and Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh III at the AIAA-hosted Ascend Texas (ASCENDxTexas) Conference at South Shore Harbour Conference Center.

Four people in a conference room looking down at a document on a table. Two people are sitting and two people are standing behind them. — NASA and the Texas A&M University System sign an agreement for a 240-acre Exploration Park on underutilized land at Johnson Space Center at the AIAA-hosted Ascend Texas (ASCENDxTexas) Conference at South Shore Harbour Conference Center. From left: Texas State Rep. Greg Bonnen, NASA Johnson Director Vanessa Wyche, Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, and Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh III. Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

“NASA JSC and Texas A&M have a long history of collaboration, and we’re eager about what we will accomplish together as we delve deeper into our partnership,” Wyche said. “The research at Exploration Park will focus on space exploration’s greatest challenges bringing the best and brightest minds to the task for the benefit of all humanity.”

Exploration Park is designed as a multifaceted space, blending research, technology development, and commercial ventures. This initiative aligns with efforts to foster a local aerospace hub and develop capabilities akin to lunar and Martian surfaces, where government, industry, and academia could formulate, design, test, and operate projects supporting the Artemis missions.

The research conducted at Exploration Park will tackle space exploration's most daunting challenges, including human factors, robotics, in-situ resource utilization, and planetary science. These endeavors aim not only to advance space exploration but also to apply these insights to improve life on Earth, such as through sustainable construction practices inspired by space habitats.

“All of this research will expedite our progression as we explore and establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and venture onward to Mars,” Wyche said. “The future of Texas’ legacy in aerospace is bright as Exploration Park will create an unparalleled aerospace, economic, business development, research and innovation region across the state.”

The park will serve as a nexus for research collaboration, technology commercialization, and career development, ensuring a robust future workforce for the space industry and beyond. Exploration Park represents a strategic use of Johnson's surplus land, embodying the center's vision as a leader in human spaceflight for the coming decades.