A major Texas university is set to receive a “one-of-a-kind” research facility to assist in missions to the moon and Mars.
On Thursday, Texas A&M University’s board of regents approved $200 million for the university system to construct the University Space Institute.
This building will be constructed on 32 acres at the entrance to the Johnson Space Center in Houston and will include landscapes that mimic the surfaces of the moon and Mars.
Each landscape is set to be the size of Texas’ Kyle Field college football stadium, which is the fourth-largest in the U.S.
According to an official release from Texas A&M, the project will include secured research “garages” for experimental robots and vehicles, lab spaces, offices, classrooms and an auditorium.
Construction on the new space institute is slated to begin in January.
Newsweek has contacted Texas A&M for comment via email on Saturday outside of standard working hours.
The research facility will be constructed as part of a wider collection of projects recently approved by the university’s board worth over half a billion dollars, that “will touch everything from space exploration to national defense to people’s beloved pets,” the release read.
“This agenda not only underscores the great needs of the state and nation,” said chancellor John Sharp. “It is only possible thanks to the foresight and commitment of our state leaders.”
Additional projects in the package include a $10-million hypersonic wind tunnel, to be constructed at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan.
The tunnel will provide large-scale aerodynamic testing and upon completion will become the largest academic facility of its kind in the country, Texas A&M said. Construction of the wind tunnel will begin next month.
The university’s school of veterinary medicine, already ranked as one of the best in the country, is set to benefit from a $181-million teaching and research complex included in the new package.
Construction on the facility will begin early next year. The new build will alleviate the pressure on Texas A&M’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital, which sees around 24,000 cases each year despite being designed to support a caseload of just 6,000.
Further projects include:
- A $25.3-million training facility for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service—a provider of training and technical assistance in fire and rescue, infrastructure and safety, law enforcement, economic and workforce development, cybersecurity and homeland security.
- $10 million to support renovations to an existing softball facility and the construction of a multipurpose field and track at Texas A&M-San Antonio.
- $74.9 million for utility and HVAC upgrades on the College Station campus.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about construction projects in your state? Contact [email protected]
The post $200-Million Texas Space Center Will Support Moon, Mars Exploration appeared first on Newsweek.
