Conroe considers bid to host proposed US Space Academy

CONROE, Texas - City leaders in Conroe are exploring whether the growing municipality north of Houston could realistically compete to host the newly proposed U.S. Space Academy.

Could Conroe realistically compete to host the newly proposed U.S. Space Academy? 

The backstory:

During council member inquiry time at the Sept. 10 meeting, Council members David Hairel and Shana Arthur asked city staff to evaluate if Conroe has the infrastructure and positioning required to attract the federal institution.

The proposal follows an executive order signed Aug. 28 by President Donald Trump at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, establishing a presidential commission to develop plans for the academy. The NASA-led federal academy will focus on technical education, leadership development and public service.

The commission has 120 days to submit recommendations covering curriculum, governance and a permanent campus location.

Deison Technology Park as a primary potential site

Local perspective:

Local leaders pointed to Deison Technology Park as a primary potential site. The city-owned business park opened in 2013 on 214 available acres, with an additional 400 contiguous acres in the nearby Conroe Industrial Park.

"We have the land," Hairel said. "Deison Technology Park, it is shovel-ready. There are approximately 214 acres available right now... We have room for their initial plans, and we have for expansion as much as they would want."

Hairel noted that bringing the campus to Conroe would mark a pivotal shift for the city.

"The Space Academy is going to be... a generational transformational project for Conroe," Hairel said. "Conroe would never be the same. Montgomery County would never be the same... It would change Conroe forever."

In a statement provided to FOX 26, Arthur highlighted Conroe's unique industrial overlap, pointing to the city's established engineering base in subsea, deepwater, energy and petrochemical technology.

"Those industries have spent decades developing engineering, equipment and technology for extreme environments, and I believe that connection to the challenges of space is one of Conroe’s most distinctive advantages," Arthur said. She added that the area offers an inland buffer from coastal storms, quality-of-life amenities like Lake Conroe, and a community with a strong tradition of public service.

Hairel acknowledged that the biggest question facing local officials is convincing state decision-makers why the federal campus should land in Conroe.

"I think our biggest risk is that, why would it be in Conroe?" Hairel said. "A lot of people would have that question... What we're really asking for is we want an opportunity to be before that committee to present why Conroe is an excellent, viable opportunity."

To meet NASA's interim requirement of hosting 300 students by 2028, Hairel pointed to local housing capacity as a key selling point.

"Conroe has 38,000 units of multifamily housing," Hairel said. "We have an occupancy rate in those right now of 91%. That leaves nearly 10% of 38,000. That's 3,800 apartments that are multifamily, that are empty. If the initial class is 300, we certainly can meet that."

The selection process is moving rapidly

What's next:

The selection process is moving rapidly. On Sept. 10, NASA announced it is seeking state-level information, with each state permitted to submit one response through its governor or a governor's designee by Oct. 26.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently appointed a specialized state leadership team, led by state Rep. Greg Bonnen, to collaborate with the Texas Space Commission and formulate the state's official submission.

NASA's preliminary schedule calls for breaking ground no later than 2027, temporarily accommodating its first class in 2028, and opening a permanent campus by 2031.

City Administrator David Willard agreed to gather more information on the opportunity. City officials are currently evaluating whether to hire specialized site-selection consulting firms to assist with a formal feasibility assessment before the state's October deadline.

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