Like the astronauts travels currently around the moon, Vaughn Construction reached a major milestone at the Texas A&M University Space Institute. The project has officially topped out, marking the completion of the structural phase. With the main structure now in place, the team is moving quickly into the 234,000 square foot Mars and Moon landscapes, roughly the size of two football fields.

This 400,000 square foot facility at NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration Johnson Space Center’s Exploration Park houses the world’s largest indoor Moonscape and Marscape for testing, training, and workforce development to support future space exploration missions.

The Houston Business Journal reports the building is targeted for substantial completion by November of this year. The Space Institute is funded by $200 million of state money, approved by the Texas Legislature in 2023.

Several tenants have confirmed that they’re moving into the building already, with some receiving grants through the Texas Space Commission related to that purpose.