Texas Space Commission Awards Grant to Space Exploration Technologies

Austin, TX - The Texas Space Commission (TSC) announced a Space Exploration & Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) grant of up to $7.5 million has been awarded to Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to support the development of the company’s new “Gigabay Starship Facility” project.

The Gigabay Starship facility will expand SpaceX’s advanced manufacturing and testing capabilities for its nextgeneration Starship rocket. Located within the company’s existing operations at Starbase, the Gigabay facility will add 24 work cells for build, integration, and refurbishment to support the ramp-up in Starship production. This grant award from the SEARF Trust will be specifically used to build the foundation of the Gigabay structure.

The project timeline is set to take place over one year. The objectives included with this grant agreement are: 

• Drill rigs and piling: May 2025 – August 2025; 
• Excavation: June 2025 – August 2025; and 
• Equipment and construction: May 2025 – September 2025. 

These milestones will enable SpaceX to build the Gigabay facility and significantly scale up its Starship program while anchoring long-term economic growth in the Rio Grande Valley. The SEARF grant will reimburse SpaceX for eligible expenditures, such as equipment, research and development, salaries, or other direct costs.

###
 

About Space Exploration Technologies
Building on the achievements of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy, SpaceX is working on a next generation of fully reusable launch vehicles and spacecraft that will be the most powerful ever built, capable of carrying humans to Mars and other destinations in the solar system. Learn more.

About the Texas Space Commission
Established by the 88th Texas Legislature in 2023 through House Bill 3447, authored by Rep. Greg Bonnen, M.D., the Texas Space Commission advances innovation in the fields of space exploration and commercial aerospace to strengthen the state’s proven leadership across civil, commercial, and military domains. To date, the total appropriation made by the Legislature for the SEARF Trust is $450 million. Learn more.

Contact
To submit a media inquiry to the Texas Space Commission, please send an email to TSCPressInquiries@space.texas.gov.