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Tag: Barbara Fox

  • NASA, SpaceX defy superstitions with successful launch on Friday the 13th

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    TEXAS — For those who are superstitious, Friday the 13th may seem like an unlucky day. But for Texas-based company SpaceX and NASA, it’s quite the opposite. The two organizations’ joint launch went on without a hitch. 

    “I understand it’s the first time NASA has ever launched on Friday the 13th, so, pretty amazing times. Really appreciate all the hard work between NASA and SpaceX and on the Crew-12,” said Steve Stich, program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

    Friday morning, four crew members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission successfully launched. Astronauts took off from Space Launch Complex 40 in Florida for a science expedition aboard the International Space Station.

    “It was just wonderful to see everything in motion, felt very privileged to be here alongside an extraordinary team preparing for an excellent mission like Crew-12,” said Jared Isaacman, a NASA administrator. 

    The crews up in space will conduct a variety of science experiments aimed at advancing research and technology for missions to the moon and Mars.

    “We are going to get our highest potential science and research up there with the aim of cracking the code and igniting an orbital economy,” said Isaacman.

    Astronauts will aim to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit.

    “What we may find, what we could learn, which could have meaningful benefit back here on Earth,” said Isaacman.

    Crew-12’s Freedom spacecraft will spend approximately 34 hours traveling to the International Space Station, according to NASA. It’s expected to dock on Valentine’s Day. 

    “Looking forward to docking. Hope our teams get some rest today,” said Stich.

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    Barbara Fox

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  • Space industry is expected to grow in 2026

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    TEXAS — Blasting off into 2026, the space industry is only expected to grow in the new year.

    According to a report by The Space Workforce Incubator for Texas (SWIFT), the U.S. space economy could equal $428 billion in economic value, add 300,000 additional jobs and tens of billions in employee compensation over the next decade.

    SWIFT performed a study to discover what types of jobs are needed at major companies. They performed what they call a “bottoms-up” analysis, directly examining 5,000 active job postings from 27 leading employers in the space economy as of Aug. 2025. The findings reveal a workforce in transition.

    “Half of all the new jobs advertised are for non-degree individuals,” said Geoff Tudor, president of SWIFT.

    The organization is hoping to get more people in Texas trained to do more technical work to get more space companies to come to Texas.

    “What we saw in the job openings was an enormous need for technical talent,” said Leon Vanstone, vice president of SWIFT.

    The hope is to be the leading place for space innovation. However, California still dominates the national picture, with the most space job postings. 

    “Our focus is on workforce education training. If you can build a pipeline of people, you can build a pipeline of the next great space company,” Tudor said.

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    Barbara Fox

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