Global leader in human spaceflight and aerospace services to operate a 45,000-square-foot astronaut food innovation facility at Exploration Park on NASA’s Johnson Space Center
HOUSTON, May 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ACMI Properties (“ACMI”), a national industrial developer of mission-critical aerospace and national security facilities, today announced that KBR (NYSE: KBR), a global leader in human spaceflight and aerospace services, has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to operate a 45,000-square-foot facility at ACMI’s Exploration Park development on NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
At Exploration Park, KBR will establish a state-of-the-art space food innovation facility that will be purpose-built by ACMI Properties to support the fast-growing low Earth orbit (LEO) economy, where demand for advanced human-centric systems, particularly tailored food, packaging, and nutrition, is rapidly increasing.
“This KBR-led capability will serve as a critical resource for NASA and its provider community by delivering safe, expertly developed food solutions tailored for human performance on spaceflight missions,” said Mark Kavanaugh, KBR President, Defense, Intel and Space. “Our commitment to fulfilling and exceeding all human performance needs—including behavioral health and performance—will be at the forefront of this endeavor and will provide a level of integration across all pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight mission phases that serves a multitude of mission models, durations, and complexities.”
At this location, KBR will design, validate, and integrate astronaut food systems engineered for both government and commercial missions, with applications across LEO, lunar, and Mars environments. The facility will also develop solutions for extreme terrestrial environments where food security, lifecycle management, and performance optimization are mission critical.
“Exploration Park is designed for companies in the space ecosystem, such as KBR, to develop, produce, and deploy innovative new technologies that support space exploration and commerce,” said Simon Shewmaker, Head of Development at ACMI Properties. “This project is moving expeditiously, and we’re thrilled to sign such an innovative partner in KBR, reflecting our shared commitment to building the essential infrastructure of tomorrow for the next generation of space innovators and explorers.”
As efforts to return to the Moon, reach Mars, and expand capabilities in orbit increase, the need for commercially driven innovation has never been greater. Exploration Park is tailored to be the nation’s premier hub for commercial space innovation and a global center of excellence for human spaceflight. The 207-acre site at NASA’s Johnson Space Center is planned to host up to 22 buildings and 1.5 million square feet of R&D facilities, labs, clean rooms, offices, and light manufacturing. The park will serve key sectors such as aerospace, advanced manufacturing, robotics, AI, and other technologies critical to human spaceflight, space commerce, and space exploration. In addition to KBR, ACMI Properties is actively negotiating with several other prospective tenants, with further announcements expected soon.
“Exploration Park represents the next chapter in Houston’s legacy as the world’s leader in human spaceflight,” said Brian Freedman, President of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership. “The decision by KBR to locate here reinforces the region’s strength in space, science, and innovation. Congratulations to the ACMI team, NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and all the partners on this project!”
About ACMI Properties
ACMI Properties is a commercial real estate development firm focused on the industrial development of mission-critical facilities and innovation clusters to meet the growing onshoring needs of advanced manufacturing companies. ACMI Properties caters to the unique requirements of advanced manufacturing companies in the national security and aerospace industries, with a focus on specialized technologies such as propulsion systems, critical chemicals, hypersonics, space systems, energetics, and scaled manufacturing among others. ACMI Properties is the property development affiliate of the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI). For more information, visit acmiproperties.com.
About KBR
KBR is a global leader in the development and delivery of spaceflight solutions, dedicated to advancing human space exploration with innovative and expert systems. With decades of experience, KBR is committed to excellence and collaboration, striving to meet the evolving needs of our partners and customers. For more information, visit www.kbr.com.
Media Contact:
Karen Hamill
Communications Strategy Group (CSG)
khamill@wearecsg.com
