* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Press Conference: “Axiom Space Headquarters Groundbreaking”] [00:00:17] UH, GOOD AFTERNOON AND WELCOME AGAIN. UH, MY NAME IS ARTURO CHUCA. I AM THE DIRECTOR OF HOUSTON SPACEPORT IN ELLINGTON AIRPORT. I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY AS WE CELEBRATE THE GROUNDBREAKING, UH, OF, UH, AXIOM'S NEW HEADQUARTERS. FIRST, OF COURSE, I WANT TO SAY CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR AXIOM PARTNERS. IT'S BEEN A BUSY YEAR FOR YOU GUYS WITH THE HISTORIC LAUNCH OF AXIO, OF AIO MISSION. ONE, YOU'VE TAKEN A FULLY PRIVATE CREW TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND SURELY SECURE YOUR PLACE IN THE HISTORY BOOKS, MIKE SINI, AND THE ENTIRE AXIOM TEAM. I KNOW HOW HARD YOU GUYS WORK TO DO EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO. I KNOW HOW HARD YOU HAVE, UH, WORKED TO GET TO THIS POINT, AND WE, WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO CELEBRATE. AND I WANNA SAY THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO. ON BEHALF OF THE SPACEPORT TENANTS, INDUSTRY PARTNERS AND THE EDUCATORS AND THE HOUSTON COMMUNITY, LET ME JUST SAY HOW INCREDIBLY EXCITED WE ARE TO WELCOME YOU TO THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. THE INNOVATION AND EXPERTISE THAT YOU BRING TO THIS CAMPUS IS A TREMENDOUS BENEFIT TO US ALL. NEXT MONTH WILL MARK OUR SEVENTH ANNIVERSARY AS A LICENSED COMMERCIAL SPACEPORT. AND IN THAT SHORT TIME, WE HAVE BECOME A SPACEPORT AT THE VERY HEART OF OUR NATURE, UH, NATION'S COMMERCIAL SPA, UH, ENDEAVORS WITH, UH, PLANETARY ACTIVITIES, LOW EARTH ORBIT, AND LUNAR ACTIVITIES HAPPENING HERE. WHO COULD IMAGINE THAT IN LESS THAN SEVEN YEARS, WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN? I'LL TELL YOU, NOT MANY, JUST THOSE LEADERS THAT HAVE HAD THE VISION TO, TO STAY PUT RIGHT AND LEAD AHEAD, WERE ABLE TO DO IT. AND OF COURSE, UH, YOU GUYS, UM, HAVE BEEN SUPPORTIVE OF ALL THIS THIS PAST YEARS. THANK YOU. TODAY WITH THIS, UH, GROUNDBREAKING IN THE ADDITION OF AXIOM SPACE, WE BEGIN THE GREATEST SPACE YET IN AMERICAN COMMERCIAL SPACE, LIKE TOGETHER. NOW, UH, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DISTINGUISHED GUESTS WHO WILL SHARE SOME BRIEF REMARKS TODAY. BUT FIRST, PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME THE MAN THAT MAKES HARD THINGS SEEM EASY. A PROUD HOUSTONIAN AND A PERFECT COMMERCIAL SPACE FLIGHT ADVOCATE, OUR MAYOR, SYLVESTER TURNER. THANK YOU, MAYOR. WELL, LOOK, LET ME START OFF BY SAYING GOOD AFTERNOON, ARTURO. THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. UH, LET ME START OFF BY ACKNOWLEDGING A FEW PEOPLE, UH, BEFORE I, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I CERTAINLY WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE COUNCIL GENERAL OF NORWAY. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US, UH, TODAY. THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. LOOK, WE HAPPEN TO BE IN DISTRICT E AND THE MAYOR PRO TIM, WHO I KNOW IS BEAMING FROM ONE EAR TO THE OTHER, TOP TO BOTTOM. GIVE IT UP TO OUR MAYOR, PRO TEM DAVE VARDEN. THEN COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN, VICE MAYOR, PRO TEM MARTHA CASTEK. TATUM, COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON ALL HERE. THANK YOU. AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER ABBY CAYMAN. THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. AND THEN FROM THE LEGISLATURE, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS PAUL. WELL, STATE REPRESENTATIVE DENNIS PAUL. GOOD TO SEE YOU, FORMER COLLEAGUE OF MINE. AND THEN WE HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES. SENATOR JOHN CORNY, UH, UNITED STATES SENATOR TED CRUZ, THE OFFICE OF CONGRESSMAN TROY NAMS, CONGRESSMAN BRIAN, UH, BABAN BAINS, CONGRESSMAN RANDY WEBER AND CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA. PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO ALL OF THEM. I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALSO BRENDA HELLER FROM THE SAN CENTER COLLEGE. WHERE'S BRENDA? THERE YOU ARE CHANCELLOR. AND THEN MANY DEPARTMENT HEADS. THERE ARE SOME DEPARTMENT HEADS THAT SURPRISED ME BY SHOWING UP, YOU KNOW, THEY COULDN'T MISS. BUT I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, WHO'S BEEN VERY INSTRUMENTAL ON THIS. ANDY ECON. THERE'S ANDY RIGHT THERE. AND I'M GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT, UH, MARIO DIAZ IN A LITTLE BIT. LOOK, WE STAND HERE TODAY [00:05:01] ON A VERY SPECIAL DAY, UH, TO CELEBRATE A MILESTONE AND EXPANDING OUR POSITION AS A SPACE CITY. UH, NOW EVEN THE ASTROS HAVE GOT THE SPACE CITY UNIFORMS. UH, THE GROUNDS WE ARE STANDING ON WILL BECOME A KEY LOCATION FOR MEMBERS OF THE AEROSPACE COMMUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AND FACILITATE COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION. THIS GROUNDBREAKING WILL PAVE THE WAY TO THE NEW HOME OF THE WORLD'S FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACE, UH, STATION BUILDER, AXIOM SPACE. MIKE, AGAIN, THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH. BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, UH, LET ME JUST WELCOME AND RECOGNIZE MICHAEL SUPERINTENDENT, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF AXIOM SPACE. GIVE IT UP TO THIS GUY ONE MORE TIME. MICHAEL, CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU, YOUR TEAM AND THE ASTRONAUTS, UH, FOR AXIOM'S FIRST SUCCESSFUL MISSION TO ORBIT. WHAT AN AMAZING SUCCESS THAT WAS. AND ALSO, MARIO DIAZ, DIRECTOR OF AVIATION FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON, AND THE VISIONARY BEHIND THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO MARIO DIAZ. WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF A CONTINGENT OF FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, AND WE WANT TO THANK THEM ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY AS WE CELEBRATE THIS OCCASION. LET'S NOT FORGET THE MANY PEOPLE AND GREAT MOMENTS IN THIS CITY'S SPACE HISTORY THAT HAVE GOTTEN US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY. AND LET'S NOT FORGET THE WORK BEING DONE RIGHT NOW THAT WILL PROPEL US TO THE FUTURE AS A LEADER IN AEROSPACE. AXIOM SPACE IS BREAKING GROUND ON HIS 22 ACRE HEADQUARTERS RIGHT HERE AT HOUSTON. SPACEPORT AXIOM WILL TRAIN ASTRONAUTS AND BUILD THE WORLD'S FIRST FREE FLYING, INTERNATIONALLY AVAILABLE PRIVATE SPACE STATION THAT WILL SERVE AS HUMANITY CENTRAL HUB FOR RESEARCH, MANUFACTURING, AND, AND COMMERCE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT. WHEN IT COMES TO FIRST IN SPACE, I CAN'T THINK OF A CITY MENTIONED MORE IN THE HISTORY. BOOKS A WORD MORE SYNONYMOUS WITH SPACE THAN HOUSTON. AS SPACE EXPLORATION HAS EVOLVED, OUR CITY HAS GROWN WITH IT RISING TO THE CHALLENGES TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES OF THE FINAL FRONTIER. AND THAT MISSION ADVANCES RIGHT HERE IN THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. TODAY, HOUSTON CELEBRATES THE GROUNDBREAKING OF AXIOM SPACE FLIGHT TRAINING AND ASSEMBLY HEADQUARTERS, WHERE THE TEAMWORK OF SOME OF THE BRIGHTEST MINDS IN THE WORLD WILL TAKE PLACE. AXIOM SPACE JOINED THE OTHER, UH, ANCHOR TENANTS CURRENTLY BUILDING AT THE HOUSTON SPACE PORT. AND TOGETHER WITH OTHER FUTURE VENTURES, THEY WILL ESTABLISH THE CORE HUB FOR AEROSPACE INNOVATION. COLLINS AEROSPACE, PRODUCER OF SPACE SUITS, LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS, AND MANY OTHER AEROSPACE APPLICATIONS IS CLOSE TO COMPETING THEIR BUILDING, AS YOU CAN SEE. AND FRED TOLD ME IT WILL, SHOULD BE DONE IN AUGUST. IS THAT RIGHT, FRED? GOOD. I'M GONNA HOLD YOU TO IT. INTUITIVE MACHINES, WHICH IS BUILDING THE NOVA SEA, UH, SPACECRAFT, AND WE'LL DELIVER CARGO TO THE MOON IN JUST A FEW MONTHS, IS ALSO MAKING GREAT PROGRESS IN THEIR, ON THEIR DEVELOPMENT. AND THREE, ALL THREE OF THESE COMPANIES PLAY A COMPLIMENTARY ROLE AT THE SPACEPORT. WHILE WE CELEBRATE THE START OF AXIOM CONSTRUCTION TODAY, WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE BUILDINGS AND INNOVATIONS ARE ALL FUELED BY PEOPLE. THE THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL BRING OPPORTUNITIES TO BOTH OUR EXPERIENCED WORKFORCE, MANY OF WHOM HAVE LEFT LASTING LEGACIES AT NASA, TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE DREAMS OF FOLLOWING IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS. AS AXIOM GROWS INTO ITS CAMPUS HERE AT THE SPACEPORT, SO WILL ITS NEED IN, IN NEED FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF WORKERS. ONCE COMPLETED, THIS PARTNERSHIP WILL BRING MORE THAN A THOUSAND HIGH PAYING JOBS TO THIS FACILITY WHERE, WHERE WE WILL BE BREAKING GROUND TODAY. GIVE IT UP TO THEM AGAIN FOR THE JOB CREATION. WE'LL NEED ENGINEERS, SCIENTISTS, MATHEMATICIANS, MACHINISTS, AND MANY OTHERS. THESE HIGH PAYING JOBS OF THE FUTURE WILL BOTH TAP INTO HOUSTON'S READY WORKFORCE OF TALENT, ALONG WITH THE NEXT GENERATION OF WORKERS. WE HAVE ONE OF THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF ENGINEERING TALENT IN THE NATION WITH NEARLY 2000 ENGINEERS PER 100,000 WORKERS. AND HOUSTON IS ALSO HOME TO 500 COMPANIES WHO WORK INVOLVES AIRCRAFT OR SPACE, VEHICLE MANUFACTURING, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, UH, OTHER AIR TRANSPORTATION ACTIVITIES. AND SO WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY. NOW, LET ME SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR NEXT SPEAKER, THE CEO OF AXIOM SPACE. MIKE SINI, DID I GET THAT NAME RIGHT? IS THAT CLOSE? OKAY, I LEARN MORE WHEN I'M UP IN SPACE. [00:10:01] MIKE. MIKE IS THE FORMER PROGRAM MANAGER OF NASA'S INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. HE NOW LEADS A WORLD CLASS TEAM OF EXPERTS AND AXIOM SPACE DEVELOPMENT, THE WORLD'S FIRST COMMERCIAL DESTINATION IN ORBIT TO REALIZE THE VISION OF A, OF A THRIVING HOME AND SPACE THAT BENEFITS ALL OF HUMANITY. WE'VE TALKED ABOUT SOME OTHER THINGS, MIKE, THAT YOU WANT TO DO SOME BIGGER PLANS FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON. WE ARE ALL, WE ARE ALL IN, AND WE ARE SO VERY GRATEFUL FOR WHAT HAS ALREADY TAKEN PLACE RIGHT HERE AT SPACE FOUR. SO PLEASE HELP ME WELCOME, ASK HIM, SPACE PRESIDENT AND CEO MICHAEL ZINI, AND HE WILL BE FOLLOWED BY AIRPORT DIRECTOR MARIO DIAZ. GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, UH, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER FIRST. YOU'VE BEEN AWESOME. MARIO HAD A VISION, BUT IT HADN'T BEEN FOR THE CITY AND THE CITY COUNCIL. WE, WE WOULDN'T EVEN BE HERE TODAY. SO MY THANKS GO TO YOU FOR THAT. ALSO, I DO NEED TO, TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT ARTURO. ARTURO SITS THERE AND, AND JUST DOES EVERYTHING, UH, WHILE, WHILE THE REST OF THEM HAVE VISIONS OF GOOD IDEAS AND STUFF, AND, AND, UH, ARTURO'S THE ONE THAT, THAT MAKES THEM HAPPEN. SO, UH, MY THANKS TO YOU AS WELL. AND THE BAY AREA, HOUSTON, WHERE, WHERE ARE YOU AT? BOB. BOB? READY? THERE YOU GO. BOB BAY AREA HOUSTON ECONOMIC SHIP. UH, THEY PLAYED NO SMALL ROLE IN, IN HELPING US GET TO THIS POINT AS WELL. SO I GOTTA SAY BACK IN, UH, WELL, LET'S JUST SAY 39 YEARS AGO, I CAME TO THIS CITY, UH, TO, UH, TO START, UH, MY JOB, MY CAREER IN, UH, HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT. UH, AND, UH, AND DURING THAT TIME, IT WAS KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE I BEGAN SORT OF IN OPERATIONS. I WAS IN TRAINING, AND, UH, OVER THE YEARS I KIND OF MOVED TO DIFFERENT JOBS IN HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY IT BECAME VERY CLEAR THAT HERE IN HOUSTON, WE HAVE ALL THE ENGINEERS THAT DESIGN SPACECRAFT. WE HAVE ALL THE OPERATIONS GUYS THAT OPERATE SPACECRAFT. WE, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT HUMAN SPACECRAFT NOW. WE HAVE ALL THE ASTRONAUTS, UM, WE HAVE ALL THE MISSION PLANNERS, UH, BUT WE DON'T BUILD HUMAN RATED SPACECRAFT HERE IN HOUSTON. UH, SO WHEN WE STARTED THIS COMPANY BACK IN 2016, MYSELF AND DR. CAM FERRI, AND THE FIRST THING WE SAID IS RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS WHERE WE'RE GONNA BUILD SPACECRAFT. AND WE'RE GONNA COMPLETE THE WHOLE, UH, CIRCLE, IF YOU WILL, OF, UH, OF DEVELOPMENT AND FLYING, UH, IN SPACE WITH HUMANS. AND, AND WE'RE NOT REALLY EXPLORING ANYMORE. WE'RE PIONEERING. WE'RE OFF TO GO SETTLE, UH, SPACE. UH, THAT'S A, THAT'S A HUGE, HUGE THING TO GO DO. UH, WE'RE WELL ON OUR WAY, AS THE MAYOR SAID. UM, A X ONE WAS, UH, WAS WILDLY SUCCESSFUL. RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE SIGNED WITH, UH, WITH UAE. UM, SO TO, UH, DO, UH, THE, THE FIRST, UH, EVERYTHING WE DO NOWADAYS IS THE HISTORY'S FIRST, SO WE'LL DO IT AGAIN, 180 DAY MISSION. UH, SO THAT WAS A VERY BIG, BIG DEAL. AND THEN I'M OFF NOW TO GO SIGN FOR TWO SEATS FOR ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL CUS CUSTOMER RIGHT AFTER THIS. SO WE'RE GOING GREAT GUNS. UH, WE CANNOT DO IT WITHOUT A SUPERIOR AND TALENTED WORKFORCE. AND THAT WORKFORCE CAN'T DO IT WITH A SUPERIOR, UH, FACILITY. AND THAT'S WHAT ELLINGTON FIELD REPRESENTS TO US RIGHT HERE, BACK HERE BEHIND YOU. UH, RIGHT ON TOP OF THE RUNWAY IS GONNA BE, UH, THE FIRST THING YOU'LL SEE GO UP IS OUR HIGH BAY. UH, TODAY IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON, WE DON'T HAVE A, A BUILDING BIG ENOUGH, UH, TO BUILD THE MODULES THAT MAKE UP OUR SPACE STATION. AND SO THE FIRST STEP IS TO BUILD THAT. AND OF COURSE, THE MANUFACTURING BUILDINGS THAT GO AROUND THAT TO HELP US FINISH ASSEMBLY. THE, THE SHELL WILL SHOW UP HERE ON THIS RUNWAY. THE AIRPLANE WILL BACK UP TO OUR SPACECRAFT. WE HAVE THIS RUNNING ROLL HERE IF YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT. AND THEN WE WILL BUILD OUT SPACECRAFT HERE, PUT EVERYTHING INSIDE, EVERYTHING ON THE OUTSIDE, TEST IT, CHECK IT OUT, GET IT READY TO GO, UH, IN THESE NEW FACILITIES THAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE. AND FROM THERE, WE'LL STICK IT RIGHT BACK ON A BIG AIRPLANE AND, AND FLY IT TO, TO FLORIDA TO BE LAUNCHED. ALL OF THIS IS ONLY POSSIBLE WITH A FACILITY LIKE THIS AND A LOCATION LIKE THIS IN SPACE CITY. THIS IS THE PLACE TO DO IT. THIS IS WHERE WE'RE GOING TO DO IT. AND WE'RE ONLY ABLE TO DO IT, UH, BECAUSE THE CITY OF HOUSTON STOOD AND SAID, HEY, WE WANNA PLAY IN A MEANINGFUL WAY. AND SO MY DEEPEST GRATITUDE TO YOU, UH, MAYOR TURNER AGAIN, AND TO YOU, MARIO AND ARTURO AND THE CITY COUNCIL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US THIS OPPORTUNITY. WE WILL MAKE YOU PROUD. WE'RE, WE'RE, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 450 PEOPLE IN OUR WORKFORCE TODAY. BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'LL BE AT 800 PEOPLE. [00:15:01] BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE WELL OVER. WE USED TO THINK WE WERE GONNA GET A THOUSAND. BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR, WE'LL BE ABOUT 1300 PEOPLE, AND WE EXPECT WILD GROWTH. SO RIGHT NOW WE'VE GOT 22 ACRES. WE'RE GONNA TALK TO THE MAYOR, MARIO, ABOUT EXPANDING THAT. 'CAUSE THE BUILDING'S GONNA HAVE TO BE A LOT BIGGER. SO, UH, ANYWAY, THANK YOU ALL VERY, VERY MUCH. SO I WANT TO, I WANT TO INTRODUCE OUR NEXT, UH, OUR NEXT SPEAKER. UH, WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT HIM, UH, BUT WE CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT MARIO DIAZ. NOT WAY BEFORE I EVER KNEW HIM. HE HELPED SET UP THIS WHOLE IDEA OF A HOUSTON SPACEPORT, UM, WHICH IS REALLY, THIS IS THE PLACE TO HAVE A SPACEPORT, RIGHT? SO WE'RE, WE'RE HAPPY TO, TO BE AT THE, THE REAL SPACE FOR IT IN MY MIND. UH, AND THIS WAS THE VISION, UH, UH, THAT HE HAD, THAT HE'S PUSHED FORWARD FOR YEARS AND WE'RE EXCITED TO BE AN ANCHOR TENANT HERE. BUT PLEASE WELCOME MARIO TO THE TEAM. THANK YOU, MIKE. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR JOINING US TODAY. YOU KNOW, I NEED TO POINT OUT SOMETHING. MIKE MAKES A VERY, VERY GOOD POINT. SO, AT THE TOP OF AN ORGANIZATION, YOU HAVE AN EXECUTIVE, AND SOMETIMES WE'RE CALLED VISIONARIES. SOMETIMES WE'RE CALLED STRATEGISTS, SOMETIMES OTHER THINGS. UM, BUT IT'S THE PEOPLE UNDERNEATH IT IS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE ON THE FRONT LINES THAT EXECUTE AND IDEAS, STRATEGIES, VISIONS ARE WORTHLESS UNLESS YOU HAVE A GROUP, A DEDICATED, UM, GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT CAN EXECUTE. SO THE VERY FIRST THING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO IS ALL MY STAFF THAT IS HERE TODAY, PLEASE STAND AND BE RECOGNIZED. THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE MADE THIS HAPPEN, AND I'M REALLY VERY, VERY PROUD OF THEM. AND OF COURSE, OUR CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER, THE SUPPORT OF ANNIE HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL AS, AS WELL AS THE MAYORS IN MAKING ALL THIS HAPPEN. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THEN WANNA START OFF BY RECOGNIZING SALUTING AXIOM FOR ITS MISSION. ONE, I MEAN, JUST A, A, A PHENOMENAL SUCCESS. UM, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW IN ADVANCE COMMERCIAL SPACE EXPRESSION RIGHT HERE AT THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. WE ARE THRILLED TO SEE AXIOM SPACE BEGIN CONSTRUCTION AND JOIN OUR RAPIDLY GROWING HOUSTON SPACEPORT FAMILY. IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY BUSY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT YEAR FOR SURE. NOW WE TALK ABOUT VISION, WE TALK ABOUT STRATEGY, OUR VISION, WE STARTED WITH THE VISION. UM, IT FOR THE SPACE FOR IT IS VERY CLEAR. WE WANNA CREATE AND BRING TOGETHER A CLUSTER OF AVIATION AND AEROSPACE ENTERPRISES THAT WILL DRIVE THE TRANSITION FROM A FEDERALLY SPONSORED SPACE PROGRAM TO A COMMERCIALLY SUCCESSFUL AEROSPACE INDUSTRY THAT WILL SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF COMMERCIAL SPACE FLIGHT RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON. NOW, I, I WANNA MAKE A VERY IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT WHY THE SPACEPORT, AND IT IS THIS, ASIDE FROM 2010, YOU MAY RECALL, UM, THE, UM, THE, UH, FEDERAL CREDIT CARD WAS TAPPED OUT AND THE PRESIDENT AT THE TIME SAID, NO MORE, UH, OF THESE FLIGHTS INTO SPACE WITH A SPACE SHUTTLE. AND THERE WAS GLOOM AND DOOM. THERE WAS A LOT OF HAND WRINGING HERE IN HOUSTON. AND WHERE OTHERS SEE SADNESS, WE SEE HOPE, WE SEE OPPORTUNITY, AND WE DECIDED TO MAKE A THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT. BUT WHY, WHY THE SPACEPORT? AND IT'S SIMPLY THIS. UM, WHEN WE REFLECT BACK ON 2011, WE UNDERSTOOD THAT HOUSTON WAS SPACE CITY, BUT IN LARGE PART NAME ONLY. YES, WE LED IN MISSION CONTROL. OF COURSE WE LED IN COMMUNICATIONS, YES, AND OF COURSE SPACE, UH, UH, SPACECRAFT TRACKING. BUT WHEN IT CAME TO MANUFACTURING, NOT SO MUCH. AND WE LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY. WHEN WE WENT COMPETED WITH ANOTHER CITY IN ANOTHER STATE THAT HAD REAL MANUFACTURING POWER, THEY WERE MANUFACTURING TO THIS DAY, OUR MANUFACTURING POWERHOUSE. WE WENT TO VISIT THEM. THEY WERE VERY GRACIOUS IN RECEIVING US, AND WE LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM. AND WE REALIZED THAT A SPACEPORT WAS NOT ABOUT FLIGHTS. IT WAS NOT ABOUT ROCKETS TAKING OFF OR JETS TAKING OFF. IT WAS ABOUT WHAT KIND OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, WHAT KIND OF MANUFACTURING, WHAT KIND OF COMPANIES COULD YOU BRING TO, UM, TO THE FOREFRONT AND CREATE THIS CLUSTER. AND SO, UM, WHAT WE DECIDED TO DO WAS TO, UH, MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTOOD THAT WE DIDN'T BUILD ROCKETS. WE DIDN'T BUILD SYSTEMS OR SUBSYSTEMS. UM, OUR STRENGTH WAS REALLY JOHNSON'S SPACE CENTER AND, UH, NASA. SO WE DECIDED THAT THE, WE WOULD PUT ASSEMBLAGE [00:20:01] OF COMPANIES TOGETHER THAT WOULD BRING TO HOUSTON THOSE ELEMENTS OF MANUFACTURING. COLLINS INTUITIVE MACHINES AND AXIOM DO JUST THAT. AND THERE ARE MORE ON THE WAY NOT TO BE DISCUSSED TODAY, BUT UM, AS THE MAYOR HAS SAID, THERE'S A LOT MORE AS, UM, MIKE FINI, MR. FINI HAS SAID, WE'RE ALREADY IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EXPANSION. THAT'S HOW WELL THINGS ARE GOING NOW. AXIOM SPACE COMPLIMENTS ITS NEIGHBORS IN CREATING A KEY HUB OF MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE HERE IN HOUSTON. COLLINS AEROSPACE HAS BEEN EQUIPPING SPACE MISSIONS FOR THE LAST HALF CENTURY AND WILL BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF SPACE MISSIONS TO COME. INTUITIVE MACHINES IS DEVELOPING AND TESTING THE PROPULSION SYSTEMS THAT WILL ENHANCE OUR ENDEAVOR TO RETURN TO THE MOON. THESE COMPANIES HAVE SECURED A PLACE, NOT JUST IN THE SPACEPORT, BUT IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE MISSIONS TO COME TOGETHER. THE NUCLEUS WILL CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPLIERS AND WORKFORCE GROWTH. THAT WILL BE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT IN GROWING THE AEROSPACE ECOSYSTEM HERE IN HOUSTON. NOW, AS AXIOM, UH, SPACE COMPLETES ITS CAMPUS, AS DOES COLLINS AND DOZEN TOUR MACHINES, OUR WORKFORCE MUST BE READY TO SEIZE ON THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL SPRING FROM THIS EXTRAORDINARY AND CRUCIAL UNDERTAKING. WE RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF EDUCATION AND HANDS-ON TRAINING. WE'RE PLEASED TO PARTNER WITH SAN JACINTO COLLEGE IN DEVELOPING THE TALENT OF THE FUTURE. THE EDGE CENTER OFFERS UNMATCHED AEROSPACE TRAINING AND A PATHWAY CAREERS IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF INSTRUCTORS WHO ARE AT THE TOP OF THEIR FIELD. WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERS WITH OTHER KEY INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS RICE UNIVERSITY, WITH WHOM WE PARTNER TEXAS A AND M, TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, AND UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, CLEAR LAKE AMONG OTHERS TO EXPAND THE BREADTH OF TRAINING RIGHT HERE IN OUR BACKYARD. THESE PARTNERSHIPS FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WILL ENSURE ACTION SPACE AND OTHER TENANTS HERE AT THE SPACE BOARD HAVE A READY GROUP OF TOP TALENT TO RECRUIT FROM, RIGHT HERE IN HOUSTON. NOW I WANT, I WANT YOU TO LOOK AROUND, REMEMBER THIS MOMENT AS YOU ARE WITNESSING THE NEXT MILESTONE OF GROWTH OF ACTION SPACE, THE HOUSTON SPACEPORT AND OUR GREAT CITY IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE EXPLORATION. THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING THIS MOMENT WITH US. AND NOW I'M GOING TO TURN IT OVER TO AGUSTO, WHO IS GONNA LEAD US THROUGH THE ACTUAL GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY. THANK YOU AGAIN, AND GLAD YOU'RE HERE. THANK Y'ALL FOR COMING. NOW WE'RE GONNA DO THE GROUNDBREAKING MEMBERS OF THE PRESS, PLEASE, IF YOU WANNA MOVE YOUR CAMERAS OVER HERE. ALL READY? GOOD EVERYBODY. EXCELLENT. OFFICIAL COUNCIL MEMBER, MAYOR TURNER, PLEASE. JUST A LITTLE CLOSER. GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. STILL A PICTURE OF THAT. YOU RECOGNIZE HER. ALRIGHT FOLKS. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.