Texas is one of America's most dynamic aerospace states, employing 225,000+ workers and generating over $48 billion in annual aerospace output. Anchored by Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth F-35 plant — the largest defense aircraft facility in the world — NASA's Johnson Space Center, SpaceX's Starbase, and a powerhouse defense corridor spanning San Antonio to Fort Worth, Texas aerospace careers are built to last across decades.
From NASA mission control to next-generation space launch, Texas hosts a full-spectrum aerospace and defense ecosystem across the entire state.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth facility is the largest defense aircraft plant in the world, producing the F-35 Lightning II — the most advanced fighter jet ever built. Over 16,000 workers build more than 150 F-35s per year, and with 3,000+ aircraft still on order globally, the Fort Worth program provides decades of sustained technician employment.
SpaceX Starbase
SpaceX's Starbase facility near Brownsville is the world's first private orbital launch complex, where the Starship rocket is built, tested, and launched. Starbase has grown from a remote test site to a major employer with thousands of technicians and engineers, and SpaceX's ambitious Starship manifest — including lunar missions and Mars plans — ensures long-term expansion.
NASA Johnson Space Center
NASA's Johnson Space Center is the home of human spaceflight, managing ISS operations and the Artemis lunar program from Houston. JSC employs thousands of civil servants and contractors across its 1,620-acre campus, and Artemis — with multiple lunar missions planned through the 2030s — anchors a decade-long pipeline of sustained aerospace employment in Texas.
