AUSTIN — The Texas Space Commission has been selected as one of seven organizations nationwide to lead a new NASA initiative aimed at building the next generation of skilled technical workers for the aerospace industry, according to NASA and the commission.
NASA announced the roughly $10.5 million in total funding Aug. 19, 2026, under a new program called NASA Aerospace Skilled Technical Workforce Hubs, or NASA State Hubs. The Texas Space Commission followed with its own announcement Aug. 21, confirming its role in the initiative.
The seven selected organizations include Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, California, Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Southern Utah University, Space Florida, the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education hosted by Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, Colorado, and the Texas Space Commission. The funding is structured as three-year cooperative agreements through NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, under its Next Gen STEM Project.
According to NASA, each hub is tasked with linking industry employers, community colleges, high school career and technical education programs, and workforce agencies to help move students into jobs like welding, electrical work, machining, avionics, propulsion, advanced manufacturing, systems testing, and assembly. These are roles NASA says require advanced STEM knowledge but not a four-year degree.
Elaine Ho, associate administrator for NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, said the need for technical talent is already urgent and will only grow as the country works toward returning humans to the Moon and eventually reaching Mars. Ho said NASA is uniquely positioned to act as a catalyst that speeds up aerospace workforce development and helps train the next generation of technicians.
The Texas Space Commission said it will serve as NASA’s coordination point within the state, bringing together employers, education and training providers, workforce organizations, and economic development partners to address the state’s technical talent needs for future space missions and the broader aerospace industry. As part of that effort, the commission plans to launch a new statewide network called the Texas Space STEM Alliance, connecting schools, colleges, workforce groups, and aerospace companies into a single pipeline.
The commission is also developing a new online portal, Texas Aerospace Pathways Plus, or TAP+, designed to consolidate information on training programs, internships, apprenticeships, employment opportunities, and scholarships in one place, while helping identify gaps in workforce access across different regions of the state.
The NASA Texas Space Grant Consortium, headquartered at the University of Texas at Austin’s Institute for Geophysics, has committed to partnering with the Texas Space Commission on the new hub, pledging to align its existing scholarship, fellowship, internship, and outreach programs with the broader alliance.
The Texas Space Commission was established in 2023 to grow the state’s space economy and has already awarded $150 million across 24 projects since its founding. The new workforce hub follows closely on the heels of the commission’s recently signed Texas Space Defense Alliance partnership with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, which taps the state’s commercial space sector to support national security work for the U.S. Space Force.
The timing lines up with Texas’s growing footprint in the aerospace industry. The Houston area alone is home to more than 43,000 aerospace and aviation professionals, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, one reason the state has become a natural hub for this kind of large-scale workforce investment.
