• WASHINGTON - The Texas Space Commission has completed awarding $150 million to companies and organizations in the state as it prepares to distribute a second, larger round of funding. • 17 board meeting, commissioners approved $14.15 million for a proposal by Rice University to establish a Center for Space Technologies at the Rice Space Institute. • The center would work on technologies for sustainable human lunar exploration and in situ resource utilization. • The grant committed the remaining balance in the commission’s Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, or SEARF. • The Texas Legislature appropriated $150 million for the fund in its 2023 session. • The amount awarded to Rice was slightly less than the $16 million the university requested.

Article Summaries:

  • WASHINGTON - The Texas Space Commission has completed awarding $150 million to companies and organizations in the state as it prepares to distribute a second, larger round of funding. At a Feb. 17 board meeting, commissioners approved $14.15 million for a proposal by Rice University to establish a Center for Space Technologies at the Rice Space Institute. The center would work on technologies for sustainable human lunar exploration and in situ resource utilization. The grant committed the remaining balance in the commission’s Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, or SEARF. The Texas

Sources: