Daikin Comfort Technologies North America is making history in Houston—not just on the field, but across the region. As the new namesake of the Astros’ ballpark, Daikin’s investment in the Houston region has been a game-changer for the regional economy and community.  Daikin’s journey in the Houston region has been one of steady growth and impact, and it all began over a decade ago. In 2012, the Japanese company acquired Goodman, a leading U.S. manufacturer of residential air conditioners. The acquisition strengthened Daikin’s foothold in the U.S. market and expanded its product offerings.  In 2017, the company opened the Daikin Texas Technology Park in Waller – just outside Houston – after consolidating Goodman’s four U.S. factories, headquarters, and distribution bases. The 4.2 million square-foot facility also serves its North American headquarters.  Since then, Daikin has invested more than $1 billion in the region, including over $500 million in the technology park alone. In 2023, the company announced the launch of a new product line focused on digital HVAC technology.   “Since establishing their campus in the region, Daikin has continued to grow, invest, and create jobs,” Steve Kean said. “Their expansion has brought new opportunities, strengthened our economy, and reinforced Houston’s role as a hub for global manufacturing and advanced technology.  Their knowledge and technology will also be valuable to our community as we maintain and grow our position as the world’s energy capital.”   As the Astros take the field at the newly renamed Daikin Park, the partnership marks more than a new name on the stadium — Daikin’s commitment to Houston goes far beyond the stadium. Through community programs focused on education and sustainability, the company is helping strengthen the region while reinforcing its commitment to innovation, economic growth, and global recognition for the region.  In partnership with the Astros, Daikin is launching two major programs. The Most Valuable STEAM Scholarship will provide Houston-area students with resources to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. Daikin’s community cooling program will bring energy-efficient HVAC systems to underserved households, helping families stay comfortable while lowering energy costs.  Complementing these developments, the City of Houston has undertaken infrastructure improvements around Daikin Park. Texas Avenue, between Crawford and Hamilton Streets, was repaved — with crews removing 10 inches of pavement and replacing it with concrete and asphalt. Work began March 8 and continued around the clock to ensure the street reopened ahead of Opening Day, showing the city's commitment to creating a seamless experience for fans.  Daikin’s long-standing commitment to Houston shows that when global companies invest in our region, everyone benefits. From job creation and workforce development to education and sustainability, Daikin’s work in Houston is a strong example of what can happen when business, government and community come together.  Click to expand Daikin’s naming rights deal for the stadium runs through the 2039 season.  Learn more about what makes Houston the ideal place to live, work and build a business.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission has finally concluded after an unexpected nine-month journey to the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts aboard; Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams and Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, successfully touched down in Florida on Tuesday evening.  Wilmore and Williams launched into space aboard Boeing’s Starliner in June 2024 as part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Originally planned as a one-week mission, their stay was extended due to technical issues with the spacecraft, leading them to join NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission.  NASA reports that during their mission, Williams and Wilmore traveled 121,347,491 miles, spent 286 days in space and completed 4,576 orbits around Earth. However, their prolonged exposure to microgravity could have brought potential health risks. Studies have shown that extended time in space can have a significant impact on the human body, resulting in muscle atrophy, bone density loss, cardiovascular changes, visual impairments and even an increased risk of cancer. This makes post-mission health assessments and continued research critical.  Upon their return to Earth, the astronauts reunited with their families before being flown to Houston for a comprehensive health evaluation and quarantine at NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). With long-duration missions becoming more common as NASA prepares for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, the health data from Crew-9’s return will play a vital role in shaping future spaceflight standards.  As a leader in both aerospace and healthcare, Houston is the ideal location for these crucial post-mission assessments. The city is home to world-renowned research institutions like Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), which houses the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), a collaboration with the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. TRISH plays a key role in studying the health impacts of space travel and developing countermeasures to address the challenges astronauts face in space, ensuring their long-term well-being as they prepare for future missions.  While TRISH will not be directly conducting the astronauts' health evaluations, the findings from Crew-9’s return could contribute significantly to its ongoing research efforts.  “NASA conducts all health examinations for its astronauts,” Dr. Dorit Donoviel, Executive Director of TRISH, told the Greater Houston Partnership. “While TRISH is not conducting research on the NASA astronauts who returned from space earlier this week, we are confident that Butch and Suni’s extended stay in space will provide invaluable knowledge and insights that will add to our shared goal with NASA of keeping humans healthy during long-duration space missions. Similar data is collected from TRISH’s commercial spaceflight research program, EXPAND, from civilians. Our goal is to get a comprehensive idea of how the human body responds to spaceflight. Private and public partnerships like these allow for us to all move toward furthering human exploration and continue to examine how the harsh environment of space can challenge the body to better prepare astronauts for future missions.”    Last year, TRISH announced a new initiative with Blue Origin, an aerospace company known for its reusable rocket engines, to conduct biomedical research on passengers flying on the company’s New Shepard rocket.  “This initiative enables TRISH to further our research in space medicine by collecting valuable human health data,” said Jimmy Wu, TRISH deputy director and chief engineer and assistant professor at BCM, in a news release. “New data from suborbital flights builds our understanding of how the human body responds to spaceflight. This holistic view is key in keeping humans healthy and safe in space.”  Splashdown confirmed! #Crew9 is now back on Earth in their @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. pic.twitter.com/G5tVyqFbAu — NASA (@NASA) March 18, 2025 Learn more about Houston’s aerospace industry.