In a new episode of The Arena with Texas Public Policy Foundation CEO Greg Sindelar, Rep. Greg Bonnen says Texas must lead the world in space exploration and discovery to improve technology and protect national security.
“It’s not good enough for us to say we’re doing better than some of these other states,”
Bonnen explained. “Well, we’re more gifted than some of these other states, so more is expected of us. If the United States is going to lead, then Texas has to lead and we have to be at the very best that we can.”
“That’s been the rationale behind the [Texas Space] Commission, to bring focus and energy and some strategy so that we could figure out how we deliver on all the promise and the expertise and the talent and the resources that we’ve got as a state.”
“This is really a matter of national defense and national security; it’s not strictly about exploration and discovery,” he said. “What happens in low Earth orbit and beyond is going to impact every person living on Earth. It really is the ultimate high ground, and we have foreign adversaries that are very competitive and very aggressive.”
He went on to give several examples of how Texas is leading in space, including Houston still managing human spaceflight, suborbital spaceflights launching in West Texas, and calling SpaceX developments in South Texas “the biggest thing since the Wright brothers.”
“We are competing against foreign adversaries to keep the world free and democratic.”
To watch the full interview, click here.