SAN ANTONIO — Southwest Research Institute has joined a proposal to establish a national lunar research center in San Antonio, including plans for a 180-acre site that would replicate the moon’s surface near the institute’s main campus on Culebra Road.
The institute announced the proposal after it signed a new agreement that marks the first step toward developing the planned research center.
The proposed facility would allow researchers, engineers and industry partners to test technologies for future missions to the moon and Mars. The site would also support efforts to develop lunar infrastructure and train workers for NASA’s long-term space exploration programs.
Institute leaders said the facility would help researchers move technologies from laboratory testing to field testing in an environment that closely resembles conditions on the moon before they deploy those technologies in space.
If officials approve and fund the proposal, the research center would establish San Antonio as a hub for lunar technology development and future space exploration efforts.