new frontiers

First commercial space station on the planet to be built in Texas

Commercial space station Axiom Space Houston Spaceport

The world's first commercial space station will be built in Space City.

Image courtesy of Axiom Space

The world's first commercial space station will be built in Texas.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner revealed at a December 22 briefing that the Houston Spaceport and Axiom Space would partner on the out-of-this-world endeavor.

"Our great city is known for taking on humankind's boldest challenges," Turner said. "In 2021, the Houston Spaceport will be the first headquarters for Axiom Space, a privately funded space enterprise."

According to Turner, Axiom Space will construct a 14-acre headquarters. The headquarters "will be the world's first free-flying internationally available private space station that will serve as humanity's central hub for research, manufacturing, and commerce," Turner said.

The partnership is expected to create more than 1,000 high-paying jobs, from engineers to scientists, mathematicians, and machinists.

"This opportunity will energize our workforce, engage our communities, and dare our young students to look up, wonder, and dream," Turner said.

Houston Spaceport is the country's 10th commercially licensed Spaceport and located at Ellington Airport.

The Houston area has played a key role for decades in the future of aerospace aviation. The Federal Aviation Administration granted formal approval for the city of Houston to making Ellington a launch site for reusable launch vehicles in 2015.

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leading the way

CultureMap founder David Gow named CEO of Houston policy nonprofit

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

David Gow will begin his new role in September.

A nonprofit organization dedicated to leading Houston into the future has named its next leader.

The Center for Houston’s Future named David Gow as president and CEO, succeeding Brett Perlman, who was announced in April to be remaining at the Center with a focus on the Center’s hydrogen initiative. Gow is the founder and chairman of Gow Media, CultureMap's parent company. His role is effective September 3.

“I am excited to step into this opportunity with the Center and work with the team, the board and many other stakeholders to help shape Houston’s future,” Gow said in a statement. “The Center presents an exciting opportunity to cast a vision for our region and identify initiatives that will make an impact.”

Gow — whose portfolio includes CultureMap, its sister sites, and ESPN Radio's Houston affiliate — is a board member of Goose Capital and chair of MSAI, an entity he formed through a SPAC acquisition. Before he founded Gow Media, he served as CFO and CEO of online watch retailer Ashford.com. Prior to Ashford, Gow was director of corporate strategy at Compaq Computers and a consultant at McKinsey & Co. He received his master’s in public policy from Harvard and his bachelor's in economics from Williams College.

“David’s portfolio of experiences and skills, record of innovation and success, and deep commitment to the Houston community make him the perfect fit to lead the Center as we chart and execute on our next set of initiatives focused on ensuring a bright future for all residents in the Houston region,” adds Center for Houston’s Future Board Chair Cindy Yeilding.

In his new role, Gow will lead the Center’s next effort, Vision 2050, which plans to identify the city's key issues, gaps, and opportunities.

“Today’s announcement also reflects the success of the Center’s clean hydrogen program,” Yeilding continues. “On behalf of the Center’s board, I’d also like to recognize Brett for launching and building such a successful and important effort as well as his overall leadership and record of achievement at the Center these past seven years.”

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This article first appeared on our sister site InnovationMap.

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