Texas reaches out to land spaceport deal with SpaceX

This image provided by NASA-TV shows the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft. The Dragon flew within 10 meters of the space station before an astronaut grabbed it with a large robotic arm. This image provided by NASA-TV shows the SpaceX Dragon commercial cargo craft. The Dragon flew within 10 meters of the space station before an astronaut grabbed it with a large robotic arm. Photo: Uncredited Photo: Uncredited Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Texas reaches out to land spaceport deal with SpaceX 1 / 5 Back to Gallery

Even as SpaceX continued to make history on Friday by berthing its Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, the state of Texas has stepped up its efforts to woo the company here.

State officials are developing an incentive package to encourage SpaceX to build a spaceport near Brownsville. The Hawthorne, Calif.-based company is also considering launch sites in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Two sources familiar with the negotiations said the state is working on a multimillion-dollar package that could include funding from the Texas Enterprise Fund, infrastructure support from the state Department of Transportation and assistance from the Texas Workforce Commission, among others.

The discussions come about a month after SpaceX founder Elon Musk said Texas could be bringing more to the table.

"There's been a lot of good action by the authorities in the Brownsville area; there's not been that much at the state level, and we'd certainly appreciate more from the state level," Musk said at the time.

On Friday a spokesman for Texas Gov. Rick Perry confirmed that the state is engaged in talks with SpaceX.

Human flights?

"We're very supportive of this project," said Allison Castle. "We're coordinating with every agency across state government that might have a positive impact on this project."

In some respects, the state is well behind some of its competitors for the spaceport, which would launch up to 10 rockets a year, initially carrying cargo payloads but eventually including human passengers.

Given SpaceX's widely publicized success this week, it's becoming increasingly apparent that private companies will have a significant role to play in the future of human spaceflight.

After Tuesday's flawless launch, the company's Dragon spacecraft caught up to the International Space Station, flying to within 10 meters of the orbiting laboratory before NASA astronaut Don Pettit grabbed it with a large robotic arm.

"It looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail," Pettit said after getting a grip on the spacecraft.

Thus another step into the increasingly commercial world of outer space was taken Friday.

Unlike Florida, Texas does not have a dedicated state agency program devoted to promoting the development of commercial space. In Florida, Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll is chair of Space Florida, which has a $10 million budget to demonstrate the state's commitment to commercial space.

Brownsville support

But Texas has some advantages as well. SpaceX already has a rocket development facility in Central Texas, in MacGregor, and the proximity to Johnson Space Center is important for missions involving NASA.

The company got a look at local enthusiasm for the project last week.

During a federal environmental hearing in Brownsville more than 500 area residents attended, with most showing support for the company's plan to build a spaceport just north of the Texas-Mexico border on the coast.

"The vast majority of those who spoke publicly were in favor of the project," said Bob Lancaster, president of the Texas Space Alliance.

To move forward the spaceport project requires an environmental impact statement, and the public scoping meeting which was held by the Federal Aviation Administration in Brownsville.

"I think we showed that SpaceX would be very welcome in Cameron County," Texas Rep. Rene Oliveira, whose district includes the proposed site, said of the Brownsville meeting.

"Frankly, I was surprised at the enthusiasm and support in my district and the county," said Oliveira, a Democrat. "It's usually hard to get crowds that large to come out."

eric.berger@chron.com