UT System and NASA Sign Space Act Agreement to Advance Research, Workforce Development, and STEM Engagement

AUSTIN - January 9, 2026. The University of Texas System and NASA's Johnson Space Center have signed a Space Act Agreement that will expand opportunities for research collaboration, workforce development, and educational engagement in support of space exploration and national security.

"It's an exciting time for the UT System and NASA to come together in new ways because Texas is at the epicenter of America's space future. It's an area where America is dominant, and we are committed as a university system to maintaining and growing that dominance." said UT System Chancellor John M. Zerwas MD.

"NASA's Johnson Space Center has a long history of working with colleges and universities to help us achieve our human spaceflight missions," said Vanessa Wyche, Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. "We are eager to partner with the UT System to collaborate in vital research and technology development initiatives that will enable us to meet our nation's exploration goals and advance the future of space exploration."

The agreement builds on a rich history of collaboration between UT and NASA.

• UT Austin has graduated 12 astronauts who together have flown more than 500 days in space, beginning with Longhorn Alan Bean, who became the fourth person to walk on the moon in 1969.
• UT Medical Branch's aerospace medicine residency program and UT Health Houston's space medicine program train astronauts to safely push the boundaries of human health and performance beyond Earth.
• UT El Paso jointly operates a Digital Engineering Design Center with NASA at the university's Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center.
• At UT San Antonio, NASA grants power research at the intersection of hypersonic flow, aerodynamics, and atmospheric science.

These examples represent only a small portion of the historic partnership between NASA and the UT System. The Space Act agreement will also leverage UT System's unique assets across 13 institutions, including:

• UT Austin's Center for Space Research.
• The Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT Austin- enabling researchers to model innovations in rocket propulsion and other aerospace applications.
• UT San Antonio's Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institution, dedicated to protecting satellites and critical space infrastructure from cyber threats.
• UTRGV's STARGATE spaceport lab, located adjacent to the SpaceX South Texas Launch site.
• A broad array of research and teaching resources across all institutions.

In addition to partnerships with NASA, the UT System has worked directly with the U.S. Space Force since 2021 under a Memorandum of Understanding to provide advanced research and workforce development.

UT System institutions are also deepening their collaboration with state government. In 2023, lawmakers created the Texas Space Commission, which recently approved a $9.27 million grant to UT Austin to support research that will dramatically improve orbital object tracking. In 2025, lawmakers created the Texas Cyber Command, headquartered at UT San Antonio (making it the first ever state agency to be located outside of the state capital).

In addition to cybersecurity, space exploration is tied to the burgeoning aerospace industry in Texas. There are currently more than 2,100 aerospace companies across Texas - including world leaders like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, and SpaceX - which support over 165,000 aerospace jobs.

"We're living through a unique moment where aerospace innovation, national security, economic transformation, and scientific discovery are converging like never before in Texas," added Zerwas. "UT institutions are uniquely positioned to partner with NASA in building a stronger and safer Texas."