Jimmy Spence, representing the Houston Spaceport and the Houston Airport System, provided an update on aerospace and aviation development at Ellington Field.

Spence framed the Spaceport as a commercial hub complementing NASA’s Johnson Space Center and said the region’s aerospace activity supported a large economic footprint: the Houston Airport System reported about $40.6 billion in total economic output for 2024, with Ellington and the spaceport responsible for approximately $2.5 billion of that total, he said.

He listed current and expanding tenants: Axiom Space (commercial space-station development), Intuitive Machines (lunar landers and cargo-return systems, with an expansion adding 24,500 square feet and plans to occupy a former Collins facility of about 110,000 square feet), and Venus Aerospace (hypersonic passenger‑aircraft development, expanding test stands on a five‑acre site). Spence also highlighted the Lone Star Flight Museum and the San Jacinto College EDGE Center’s workforce training on site.

Spence described airfield investments: Taxiway Lima’s first phase will construct about 4,000 linear feet and create roughly 30 acres of airside land for aerospace development. He said the Texas Southern University flight school facility has been under construction and that a ribbon cutting is planned in the coming month. He also encouraged attendance at the space‑center air show scheduled for the weekend.

Spence said Ellington’s air-traffic control services operate under a different model from commercial airports because contract controllers are provided by the military presence at Ellington.

The presentation underscored the Spaceport’s role in local economic development and workforce training and included a request that community members take advantage of public events and workforce‑training opportunities associated with the site.