My Visit to Midland Air & Spaceport and Simulated Mission to the Moon with Astronaut Terry Virts and Space Nation
By Steve Wolfe, GSA Deputy Executive Director
I recently had the opportunity to participate in a three-day intensive astronaut training simulation organized by GSA Member Space Nation in Midland, TX. While in the Permian Basin. I also made sure to visit with our colleagues at the GSA member spaceport, the Midland Air & Spaceport.
I had an informative discussion with Justine Ruff, Director, and Nicholas Krakovec, Operations Manager of Midland Air and Spaceport. Separately, I met with Sara Harris, Director of the Midland Economic Development Corporation. From these discussions, I came away more convinced than ever of Midland’s potential as a major hub for commercial space development.
Midland Air & Spaceport holds a rare dual designation: it’s licensed as a Part 420 Spaceport and certified as a Part 139 Commercial Service Airport. That combination lets it function as a busy regional airport — serving over 760,000 passengers last fiscal year with connections to Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, and the DFW Metroplex — while also supporting spaceflight-related operations on the very same footprint.
As Justine Ruff explained, the local Midland workforce, long trained in the region’s energy industry, brings a unique set of skills that transfer surprisingly well into space technology work — a quiet but important advantage as new space companies move in.
I was updated on the Spaceport Business Park on the south end of the field, now home to AST SpaceMobile, which is developing a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing plant on 23 acres for communication satellite production. It felt like a full-circle moment to me: AST’s presence follows in the footsteps of XCOR, an earlier space company that once called Midland home, and it brought back memories of people I’ve known in this industry for years, like Jeff Greason and Andrew Nelson (now Vice President of RS&H, the GSA Member and Title Sponsor this year).
Also on-site: Starfighters Space–another new GSA Member–which operates F104 aircraft for testing purposes. Because FAA regulations restrict certain activities — like rocket engine testing — on airport property itself, the Midland Development Corporation maintains separate land five miles away where that testing can take place, keeping the airport’s core operations unaffected.
Growth here shows no signs of slowing. I learned about plans for a 320-acre land purchase on the airport’s east side, as well as terminal improvements and a new parking garage. These upgrades reflect both rising passenger traffic and the airport’s expanding role as a hub for aerospace tenants.
Midland’s story is also part of the Global Spaceport Alliance story I’ve been helping build. The airport has been an active GSA member since 2015, and its journey mirrors GSA’s own growth — from a domestic policy conversation into an international network, with member spaceports now spanning Europe, Japan, Australia, South America, and beyond.
The future of commercial space isn’t being built in just one place. It’s being built runway by runway, in cities like Midland, by people who understand both the aerospace mission and the practical realities of running an airport.
My Great Moon Mission Adventure
The main event of my trip to Midland, TX, was participating in the astronaut training simulation organized by GSA Members Space Nation. It was their Moon Pioneers Mission. The program mainly took place on the campus of the University of Texas at Permian Basin (UTPB) Center for Energy and Economic Diversification (CEED), a 30,000-square-foot building serving as a hub for innovation, research, and business.
I’ve spent much of my career working in the space sector. But nothing quite prepared me for what it felt like to actually live a simulated mission to the Moon. That’s exactly what I got to do in Midland.
The mission opened with Space Nation founder Kalle Vähä-Jaakkola setting the stage — a discussion that gave real context to where humanity is headed in space and why programs like this matter. From there, we moved quickly into hands-on training led by Alex Arthur, a special forces veteran who served two tours in Afghanistan. Alex has a gift for making team-building exercises feel both fun and genuinely demanding, and every drill turned out to be essential preparation for the simulated mission ahead. Getting fitted for our EVA spacesuits that first day was, I’ll admit, a personal highlight — it’s hard not to feel a little bit like an astronaut once you’re zipped into one.
The diversity of backgrounds of my cohort could not been more varied — Michael, a genetic biology student with his eye on the astronaut corps; Marcus, a former Air Force officer eyeing a move into the space industry; Tony, a retired engineer who’d always dreamed of spaceflight; Gabby, a health professional passionate about space; and Alexis a project manager looking to grow her skill set — and yet within hours we’d formed a real bond. That evening we had dinner with two-time astronaut Terry Virts, who would be guiding us through the mission the next day. I could barely sleep that night. As an interesting side note, Terry Virts is the Chief Technology Officer for new GSA Member Astra Dominium.
If Day One was preparation, Day Two was the mission. With Terry Virts and the Space Nation team guiding us, my crew was assigned roles and dropped into a full moon-base scenario. Space Nation’s instructors monitored us closely but refused to hold our hands — we were pushed to the edges of our knowledge, our creativity, and our ability to work as a team under pressure. There were moments of real stress mixed in with genuine fun, and by the time the simulation ended, the sense of accomplishment in the room was tangible. At the debrief, Terry, Kalle, and Alex walked us through our performance in detail, and I’m proud to say our crew earned high marks. We closed out the day with a meal at the Blakemore Planetarium, which felt like the perfect way to end a day spent training for the Moon.
This mission reenergized my own passion for advancing the space agenda. I have a feeling it will do the same for you.
Thank you to the teams at Midland Air & Spaceport and Space Nation for their hospitality and for giving me an inside look at one of the most versatile aerospace facilities in the country and a once-in-a-lifetime experience of what it’s like to train like an astronaut.
ABOUT GLOBAL SPACEPORT ALLIANCE
Established in 2015, the Global Spaceport Alliance has become the largest network of spaceports in the world. Members include spaceport operators, suppliers, and government and academic entities involved in the commercial space sector. GSA offers members timely access to information, the ability to engage with key decision makers, and the opportunity to participate in working groups targeting specific areas of interest to the spaceport ecosystem.
Questions? Please Contact Us
