Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder is traveling to South Carolina to visit a BMW plant in Spartanburg, following a two-day trip to Texas. In Houston, Söder toured NASA’s Mission Control Center, where the Artemis II mission will be monitored, and signed two cooperation agreements between NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen.
Söder said Bavaria’s aerospace strategies, launched in 2018 and once met with skepticism, are now being well received. The state’s aerospace sector has grown markedly, generating around €12 billion in annual revenue and employing about 40,000 people. Söder announced that €1 billion will be invested in Bavaria’s space industry by 2030.
Away from official meetings, Söder visited the George Ranch near Houston, watched a rodeo demonstration, and attended a barbecue. He also announced that the first Original Hofbräuhaus in Texas will open later this year in the Dallas–Fort Worth area; it will be the Munich brewery’s 11th branch worldwide.
A correction notes an earlier version of reports that placed Söder in North Carolina; he is in South Carolina.