SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk was in Austin to speak at a conference about his Tesla electric cars, according to a March 8, 2013 story in the Austin American Statesman, when he dropped by a meeting of the Texas House Appropriations Committee. Musk briefed the committee on the status of the proposed space port near Brownsville.
Musk expressed optimism that Texas would become the venue of his company’s proposed commercial space port. While SpaceX is launching rockets from both Florida and California, Musk believes that a space port that his company controls would be useful for its dream of becoming a space transportation enterprise.
However Musk reminded the legislators that Florida and Puerto Rico are still in the running and that both are offering what he characterized as generous financial packages. The message Musk imparted was unmistakable. If Texas wants to host his space port, Musk expects Texas to be generous as well, offering tax breaks and other incentives.
Still, the Brownsville port would have some location advantages, being relatively near NASA’s Johnson Spaceflight Center south of Houston as well as SpaceX’s testing facility in McGregor, Texas. The proposed space port is awaiting the results of an environmental impact study being conducted by the FAA.
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