San Jac launches training program to support space-based pharmaceutical recovery
PASADENA, Texas – San Jacinto College is expanding its leadership in workforce training through a new partnership with Intuitive Machines to develop a biopharmaceutical material handling program, which prepares technicians to safely manage pharmaceuticals returned from space. This initiative will support Intuitive Machines’ Earth Reentry Program; building on its partnership with America’s first commercial space biotech company, Rhodium Scientific. and marks a major step toward building a commercial pipeline for space-based medication development.
Designed from the ground up, the curriculum will be developed by San Jacinto College in collaboration with Intuitive Machines and other industry partners to align with the unique regulatory and technical demands. The training will be built to NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training) standards, with the College being the only NIBRT-certified institution in the southern U.S.
“With our NIBRT-certified programming, hands-on biotechnology training facilities, and presence at the Houston Spaceport, San Jacinto College is uniquely positioned to lead the development of the workforce needed for space-enabled biomanufacturing,” said Dr. Christopher Wild, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Vice President of Biotechnology.
This initiative builds on San Jac’s robust biotechnology program, which includes a biomanufacturing technology associate degree and certificates. As the program expands, the College will open a new Center for Biotechnology at Generation Park this summer, a first-of-its-kind NIBRT training center to meet growing demand for bioprocessing professionals across Texas and beyond.
“San Jacinto College understands what it takes to prepare a workforce for next-generation industries,” said Justin Kugler, Sr. Director of Business Development at Intuitive Machines. “As we develop a precision Earth return vehicle to deliver space-manufactured materials, San Jacinto College is training the technicians who will help ensure those scientific payloads—developed by companies like Rhodium Scientific—are safely received and transferred for use. We believe their role is essential to making orbital manufacturing commercially viable, connecting what’s made in space to what’s needed on Earth.”
This partnership continues a long-standing relationship with Intuitive Machines, dating back to 2019, and complements a Texas Space Commission–funded project to develop a full-scale ground prototype return vehicle. Approximately 80 students have completed the College’s composite manufacturing technician course and approximately 25% of those have gone on to worked at Intuitive Machines.
Learn more about San Jacinto College's biotechnology program
About San Jacinto College
Surrounded by monuments of history, evolving industries, maritime enterprises of today,
and the space age of tomorrow, San Jacinto College has served the people of East Harris
County, Texas, since 1961. The College is ranked second in the nation among more than
1,100 community colleges, as designated by the Aspen Institute and was named an Achieving
the Dream Leader College of Distinction in 2020 and 2026. As a Hispanic-Serving Institution
that spans five campuses, plus an online college, San Jacinto College serves approximately
45,000 credit and non-credit students annually. It offers more than 200 degrees and
certificates across eight major areas of study that put students on a path to transfer
to four-year institutions or enter the workforce. The College is fiscally sound, holding
bond ratings of AA+ by Standard & Poor’s and Aa2 by Moody’s. San Jacinto College is
accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
