Virginia-based TMEIC Corporation Americas has announced it will relocate its headquarters to Houston, with plans to build a solar manufacturing facility near Katy.   The company, a subsidiary of Japan’s TMEIC Corporation, will move to Houston’s Energy Corridor in March 2025, while maintaining an office in Roanoke, Virginia. TMEIC will also launch a state-of-the-art photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing facility in Brookshire. The 144,000-square-foot facility, expected to open in October, will be located near its existing power supply and medium voltage drive manufacturing plant in Katy. Initially, the facility will have the capacity to produce 9 GW annually, with potential for future expansion. The facility is projected to create up to 300 jobs.   "We are excited to make these investments for an expanded presence in the Houston area with the relocation of our headquarters and the opening of our new manufacturing facility,” said Manmeet S. Bhatia, President and CEO of TMEIC Corporation Americas, in a statement. “This strategic expansion underscores TMEIC's dedication to the renewable energy industry, advancing clean energy technology, maintaining strong client relationships, and competing on a global basis while proudly manufacturing in the United States.”    The Greater Houston Partnership played a pivotal role in attracting TMEIC to the region, working actively to bring solar energy companies to Houston.    This announcement underscores Houston's growing prominence as a leader in solar energy. According to the Clean Investment Monitor, Texas attracted over $12 billion in solar investments in 2023. As a pivotal player in the global energy transition, Houston has been at the forefront of this growth, establishing itself as a prime destination for solar manufacturing companies seeking expansion.  For instance, Renewable Parts, a company specializing in wind turbine supply chain and refurbishment, chose Humble for its new parts recirculation workshop. Similarly, international companies Triveni Turbines and Imperial Star Solar have also unveiled plans for new solar manufacturing facilities in the Houston area.  Learn more about Houston’s leadership in solar energy. 

Houston-based Axiom Space and multinational tech innovator Nokia have formed a strategic partnership to enhance the next-generation spacesuits for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III lunar mission.  The collaboration aims to incorporate Nokia’s advanced 4G/LTE communication technology into the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), which NASA selected Axiom Space to design in 2022. This upgrade will allow crew members to capture real-time, high-definition video, exchange critical information and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while exploring the Moon.   Developed by the renowned Nokia Bell Labs, Nokia’s cutting-edge technology, known as the Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), emerged from its selection by NASA under the Tipping Point initiative, which supports the development of space technologies to enhance future missions. The LSCS comprises two key components: a network-in-a-box, which consolidates the radio, base station and core network elements of a terrestrial cellular network into a single unit, and device modules that will be integrated into the AxEMU spacesuits.  The LSCS will be initially deployed during Houston aerospace company Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission, scheduled to launch later this year, establishing the first-ever cellular network on the Moon. This mission will test the technology to refine its adaptation for the AxEMU spacesuits and highlight the crucial role of cellular connectivity on the Moon and Mars.  “Just as astronauts will need life support, shelter and food, they will need advanced networks to communicate with each other and go about their crucial work,” said Thierry E. Klein, President of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, in a statement. “Bell Labs has a long history of working on space projects, and Nokia is a leader in designing and building networks that connect the world. We are taking advantage of the same standards-based technologies that connect billions of devices on Earth every day, while bringing new innovation and technologies to bear on the specific challenges encountered in space."  This announcement aligns with NASA’s increasing investments in Houston companies and institutions as the region solidifies its position as a major player in the global space economy. NASA recently signed a Space Act Agreement with bp to leverage digital technologies and expertise to advance both energy production and space exploration. Earlier this year, the space agency also awarded the University of Houston $5 million to establish an aerospace engineering research center, focused on bolstering its human space exploration efforts on the Moon and Mars.  These partnerships are set to expand further through the NASA Johnson Space Center’s new aerospace innovation hub, Exploration Park. “I think you can plan for an increased number of partnerships going forward. I anticipate that partnerships will continue to become a bigger part of Johnson Space Center strategy,” Nick Skytland, chief technologist at JSC, told the Houston Business Journal. “We recognize that this is truly humanity's collaboration to advance human space exploration. So, we want to see more people be part of that.”  Learn more about Houston’s aerospace industry.