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Texas is set to house SpaceX's commercial rocket launch facility in the greater Brownsville area, reportedly the most impoverished in America. According to a press release from Governor Rick Perry's office, the state is funnelling approximately $15.3 million into the project, $13 million of which will be used to develop the necessary infrastructure.
"the forefront of our nation's space exploration efforts."
"Texas has been on the forefront of our nation's space exploration efforts for decades, so it is fitting that SpaceX has chosen our state as they expand the frontiers of commercial space flight," said Governor Perry in a statement. The facility is expected to create 300 new jobs and bring $85 million in capital investment to the region, which lies in the southernmost tip of Texas. The Associated Press reports that the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation is pledging another $5 million to the project, which local officials believe will create 500 jobs over a 10-year period.
SpaceX and Texas officials have been in discussions since 2011. However, it wasn't until 2012 that news about Cameron County's status as a potential building site officially broke, following the discovery of a Federal Aviation Administration document. Among other things, the file detailed the company's plans to perform up to 12 launches per year, and to analyze the environmental impact of such an endeavor.