From new facilities and tools for testing space technology to programs for inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers, a new round of grants from the Cornell-led New York Consortium for Space Technology Innovation and Development (NYCST) will advance aerospace research, manufacturing and workforce development in New York state.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Defense's Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, NYCST announced the grants March 4 to support New York organizations working on groundbreaking space-related technology development, supply-chain resilience and workforce initiatives that bolster the nation's space industrial base.
"As global competition in space accelerates, New York is mobilizing its premier research institutions through NYCST to address workforce shortages, close capability gaps and mature the critical technologies our nation needs," said Mason Peck, executive director of NYCST and the Stephen J. Fujikawa '77 Professor of Astronautical Engineering at the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering. "For decades, our state has been a home to innovative aerospace companies. Through NYCST, we are now aligning that heritage with our top-tier research institutions to ensure that industry can develop and scale up breakthrough technologies right here in New York."
Projects selected for Round 2 funding include:
Future Space Innovators: Young Learners, Giant Leaps
Griffiss Institute
Griffiss Institute will organize the Future Space Innovators Program to engage middle school students in hands-on aerospace engineering by designing and building rocket payloads. The project aims to inspire young learners to develop their STEM identities by developing their skills and exposure to emerging technologies.
Cornell Orbital Materials Environment Test Facility
Cornell University
The Cornell Orbital Materials Environment Test (COMET) Facility will be the first of its kind to enable the characterization and qualification of polymers and other novel materials in a space environment in order to evaluate their reusability, in-space stability and functional properties.
High Altitude Balloon Testing of Spintronic Materials
University of Connecticut; Union College
A collaborative mission for high-altitude balloon testing of solid state actuators will be used to augment glove functionality for astronauts. Conducting testing on these soft robotics with high-altitude ballooning supports the development of new commercial space solutions in extreme conditions, without the need for a space launch.
SmallSat Mission Design School
Cornell University
The SmallSat Mission Design School is a summer program that provides firsthand experience in space mission design to students. The program will go beyond traditional coursework and expose students to real spacecraft engineering design activities while introducing them to the space industry within New York state.
Small Satellite Payload Calibration
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology will develop a facility roadmap to implement an initial capability for in-situ calibration of small satellite electro-optical and infrared payloads in the NYCST thermal vacuum facility. This testing capability will be available to NYCST members to monitor their optical performance during a thermal vacuum test.
Syl Kacapyr is associate director of marketing and communications for Cornell Duffield Engineering.
