BROWNSVILLE, TX – Expanding Frontiers (ExF) and the NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center just entered into a Space Act Agreement to bring NASA technologies to entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs in NewSpace City Brownsville and the surrounding region.
“We are really excited to be teaming up with NASA to provide these amazing opportunities for our entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Fredrick Jenet, the founder and executive director of Expanding Frontiers.
Through the proposed program, ExF and its partners are pioneering a platform to accelerate the formation of space startups. Collaborating with NASA will provide space entrepreneurs access to knowledge and resources that will further accelerate the progress of these endeavors, and in turn, NASA will benefit from the research and development of these space startups as they take NASA technology up to the next level of functionality, discover broader application for NASA’s innovations, and commercialize them.
“The work that Dr. Jenet and his team at Expanding Frontiers [does provides] a successful model for technology transfer in the South Texas region that has the potential to impact so many lives regionally and nationally. This agreement strongly supports this effort and we are excited to be formally collaborating,” said Kris Romig, commercialization services lead, at NASA Johnson.
The first program under this agreement will focus on transferring NASA technology to the startup ecosystem that ExF is building in South Texas. NASA will identify technologies from its portfolio that are a best match for the innovation ecosystem and the entrepreneurial spirit ExF is developing in the Rio Grande Valley/Brownsville region. NASA will work with Expanding Frontiers to help grow these technology startups.
Through a series of programs, Expanding Frontiers will ensure that these startups can successfully pitch their innovative solutions to venture capitalists, the private sector, and agencies such as NASA. In pushing these technologies forward to regional industries, ExF is engaged in the development of the regional economy and growing commercial space supply chains. “We are looking forward to having our entrepreneurs evaluate NASA technologies for use in their new ventures,” said Keeisi Caballero, Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Development at ExF and the coordinator of ExF’s Entrepreneur in Residence Apprenticeship program.
Expanding Frontiers, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has created specialized programs and a network for incubating and accelerating technology companies. This agreement will allow NASA to leverage the South Texas business community in a manner that will effectively and efficiently determine viable transferees of NASA technology for commercial purposes.
Contact
Fredrick A. Jenet, Founder and Executive Director, Expanding Frontiers fjenet@expandingfrontiers.org
About Expanding Frontiers
Expanding Frontiers is a nonprofit organization based in Brownsville, Texas, recognized by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, the Department of Energy, and the Economic Development Agency, and is creating and developing the commercial space ecosystem in South Texas. Founded in 2019, Expanding Frontiers provides programs for students, veterans, and entrepreneurs intended to introduce them to the emerging commercial space industry. The organization is also an incubator for startup companies and offers training, mentorship, access to capital, exposure to industry experts, and shared office space. Expanding Frontiers is strategically collaborating with NASA, the Silicon Valley Space Center, the New York Space Alliance, and the National Space Society. For more information about Expanding Frontiers, visit the link below.
About Johnson Space Center
JSC in Houston was established in 1961 and has been a hub for space exploration and innovation in science, technology, engineering, and medicine for more than 50 years. The center has led many human exploration projects such as NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, the Gemini, Apollo, and Skylab projects. Its location in Houston has allowed the greater Houston area to become an aerospace hub. For more information about Johnson Space Center, visit the link below.
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