Aerial Futures The Next Frontier - Ellington Field

Aerial Futures

Think Tank for the Future of Houston Spaceport

‘Aerial Futures’ is a non-profit exploring innovation in the architecture of flight, technology and the broader urban mobility ecosystem’ - aerialfutures.org

At the southeastern edge of Houston’s city limits, just a few miles away from the NASA Space Center, Ellington Airport is providing ground for bold futures in cosmic connectivity. Houston has long been known as “Space City,” but the private sector’s recent enthusiasm for commercial human space flight creates an impetus to reassess our opportunities. Aerial Futures, a non-profit organization exploring flight and urban mobility, organized the Next Frontier Think Tank to engage leaders from a wide range of fields in holistically examining the prospects of Houston’s future Spaceport. 

The think tank took place over two days. On the first evening, UltraBarrio co-founder Marcus Martinez moderated a panel on cosmic connectivity made up of guests from NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Houston Airport System. The second day a select number of leaders from the fields of robotics, astronomy, physics, and prototyping joined the conversation. UltraBarrio co-founders Amna Ansari and Marcus Martinez co-led one of three main panels titled “Space for Culture.” 

With private space exploration company SpaceX nearing completion on their coastal Starbase and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos making headlines for an interstellar trip out of Blue Origin’s west Texas launch site, it is clear that commercial space travel is beginning in earnest. Simultaneously, the impact that these cosmically-oriented developments have on the urban fabric of towns like Boca Chica demands urban designers’ attention.

‘How can commercial space flight infrastructure smoothly integrate into our urban landscape and benefit not only private investors, but communities?’

Ellington Airport provides Houston with the opportunity to grow a Spaceport that supports our city’s economy at all levels, as well as our research and development community. Conversations like those held at the Aerial Futures Next Frontier Think Tank are vital to ensuring that the precedent Houston sets is innovative, dynamic, and equitable. The UltraBarrio team is grateful to have been invited to contribute an urban design perspective on the project at its earliest stages.