BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., has congratulated SpaceX on the successful fifth flight test of Starship.
Scientists say SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket ever created, passed a crucial stage in its development journey on Sunday after engineers successfully caught its booster on the way down.
“This achievement is another remarkable step forward in space exploration, and we’re proud to witness such innovation right here in our community,” Cowen said, in a posting on social media. “Great work, SpaceX. We look forward to seeing what’s next.”
Brownsville City Manager Helen Ramirez was equally enthusiastic.
“Incredibly proud of SpaceX; 3,400-plus employees (at Boca Chica), 70 percent of whom are local,” Ramirez said. “Now is the time to work for SpaceX, City of Brownsville, Texas and companies at the Port of Brownsville, Texas.”
SpaceX founder Elon Musk hopes the Starship will eventually take humans to Mars. The rocket is designed to be reusable.
Capturing a rocket’s booster mid-air, using mechanical arms on the launchpad, is nothing new. Russia has been able to do this with its rockets for some time. SpaceX eventually hopes to catch the upper part of the rocket as well.
Mayor Cowen spoke about SpaceX and other big projects currently in the works in Brownsville at a recent BTX Developers Tour. The event was co-hosed by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation.
“This particular event is very important for me, to be able to showcase exactly what's happening here. I think everyone realizes the transformation that's happening in Brownsville. We have so many things happening when it comes to SpaceX, when it comes to what's happening at the Port of Brownsville,” Cowen said.
Cowen pointed out that Brownsville is currently the number one city in the state of Texas for job growth.
“It’s an amazing thing when you hear Governor Abbott come down and say, the future of the state of Texas is in the Rio Grande Valley. And I think the future of the Rio Grande Valley is here in Brownsville.”
Cowen said he does not think too many people realize how quickly the transformation is happening in Brownsville.
“Incomes are rising. People's values are going up. That means they have more equity in their house. Wealth is being created as a result,” Cowen said.
“Right now, Brownsville is the number one city for income mobility in the United States. That's an amazing accomplishment, and we're just getting started.”
Cowen pointed out that SpaceX wants to increase production capacity at Starbase, Boca Chica, from one new rocket every five or six months to one new rocket every couple of days.
“What does that mean for us? That's an opportunity for our workforce to grow, but also for businesses to be a part of that economic engine that they're going to provide. That's an opportunity for their suppliers to come here and relocate to be closer to the manufacturing base.”
Cowen also spoke about the growth of the Port of Brownsville.
“The Port of Brownsville is the largest landowning port in the United States, 40,000 acres. And they're in the middle of their transformation as well,” Cowen said.
“I think the secret is out of the bag right for the state of Texas and for all the investment communities. A lot of eyes are on Brownsville. Now is our time to shine. And it's not just about Brownsville, it's about the whole (Rio Grande) Valley, because the whole Valley wins.”
Cowen said if Brownsville wins the Valley wins, agreeing with the phrase that a rising tide floats all boats.
“And I would also say to our partners in Mexico and Matamoros and Reynosa… we want them to increase their economic mobility as well. I think we all need to work together and collaborate, share ideas and help solve each other's problems. Because, at the end of the day, we all make each other stronger.”
Editor's Note: Here is an audio recording of the speech Brownsville Mayor John Cowen, Jr., made at the BTX Developers Tour event:
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of an interview the Rio Grande Guardian secured with Brownsville Mayor John Cowen at the BTX Developers Tour event:
