U.S. Air Force facilities in Albuquerque are set to play host to a group of university students for a summer-long training program focused on a particularly small class of satellites.
Florida Atlantic University and seven other U.S. colleges were selected on March 28 to work with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and U.S. military to develop small satellites, with the chance to see technology flown in space, sister publication Miami Inno reported Tuesday.
A team from the university's College of Engineering and Computer Science will participate in NASA's CubeSat Launch Initiative from May to August. They will meet at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island for a four-day introductory session and then spend seven weeks at the U.S. Air Force's University Nanosatellite Program facilities in Albuquerque.
The program aims to provide students with systems engineering training for spacecraft development and prepare them for careers in the space industry.
“We are incredibly excited and proud to have been selected to … help revolutionize the space domain with tiny yet powerful small satellite technology,” said Stella Batalama, dean of the FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science.
Including FAU, two other selected universities are minority-serving institutions — the University of Central Florida and Tarleton State University. No institutions in New Mexico were selected.
The CubeSat Launch Initiative is working with the Air Force and Space Force for its 2024 Mission Concept Program. A CubeSat is a class of small satellites that are usually the size of a 4-inch cube. The devices typically weigh less than 5 pounds.
In addition to flight hardware design training and development, the CubeSat Launch Initiative gives educational institutions the opportunity to fly on upcoming launch missions.
In Albuquerque, three students from each university team will intern with the Space Dynamics Laboratory to review their proposals and improve the chances that their satellites will be viable for spaceflight. Funding for all travel with the program is provided through the 2024 Mission Concept Program, under NASA's University Nanosatellite Program.
Thirty-four universities applied for the 2024 sessions, NASA reports. Applications were reviewed by a mix of NASA, Air Force and contractor personnel.
In addition to Boca Raton-based FAU, the other selected universities were:
- University of Central Florida
- University of Mississippi
- University of North Dakota
- Valparaiso University
- Northeastern University
- West Virginia University
- Tarleton State University
