Texas is one of the most prominent states in the United States in the field of space and aviation. More than 148,000 people are directly involved in the aviation and aerospace industry in 1,400 organizations. Texas ranks first among states in terms of employment in these industries.
There are 1,450 airports (private and public) in Texas, which is far more than any other state. For comparison, Alaska, for example, has only 549 airports. The influence of the aerospace industry has led to Texas becoming the “home” of the aerospace business. In total, 52,000 degrees in aviation have been awarded since 2015.
Texas (Houston) is home to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA’s center for the command and control of spaceflight. Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Neil Armstrong trained for the Apollo 11 mission in Texas, which is now the primary training location for American astronauts.
Many major aviation and space companies are based in Texas, including Lockheed Martin, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, and Boeing.
American businessman Elon Musk’s Space Exploration and Technologies (SpaceX) plans to build the world’s first commercial spaceport in southern Texas, cementing its position as a leading space state.