The Houston Spaceport—which hosts lunar exploration activities for NASA, testing of advanced aerospace technologies, and other activities—has welcomed its newest tenant.
Texas Southern University’s aviation program is the latest to find a home at the spaceport after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday. Opened in partnership with the city of Houston and Houston Airport System—which also manages George Bush Intercontinental (KIAH), William P. Hobby (KHOU), and Ellington (KEFD) airports—the satellite campus houses the university’s dozen Cirrus SR20s, acquired last year.
More recently, it acquired a Diamond DA42 Twin Star.
“Houston put a man on the moon—and Texas Southern is going to put the next generation of aviators, engineers, and astronauts into the sky right alongside that legacy,” said James Benham, chairman of the university’s board of regents, in a statement. “As a pilot, I know what it means to sit in a cockpit for the first time and realize the sky is yours. That’s what this hangar gives our students: not a simulation, not a textbook, but 12 real Cirrus aircraft and a satellite campus at one of the most forward-looking aerospace sites in the country.”
The city of Houston poured $5.5 million into the new campus, which boasts 20,000 square feet of hangar space. The university said an 8,000-gallon fuel tank will save it hundreds of dollars per year. With about 4,500 feet of office space, students will be able to go straight from the classroom to the hangar. The site will eventually distill coursework for the school’s developing aerospace engineering program.
According to Texas Southern, the facility will train students for careers in the corporate, commercial, and aerospace fields. Houston Spaceport is also home to NASA and its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) providers Axiom Space and Intuitive Machines, which are helping chart humanity’s return to the moon. RTX and Venus Aerospace use it as a sandbox to test their latest developments. A new taxiway under construction will connect the spaceport to Ellington Airport.
Texas Southern is one of the top historically Black college and university (HBCU) aviation programs, with more than 200 students enrolled. It has been accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International since 2023. The school aims to become a top 10 collegiate aviation program by 2030.
The university also has pilot pathway agreements with United Airlines’ Elevate, Southwest Airlines’ Destination 225, Republic Airways, and—as of this week—Delta Air Lines’ Propel program. The airlines also award scholarships to prospective aviation students.
