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The United States Space Force has selected the University of Michigan to participate in the Space Strategic Technology Institute 3, a partnership between the Space Force, eight academic institutions and seven other businesses dedicated to research and development. The University will receive $34.9 million in funding to work alongside the Rochester Institute of Technology and other SSTI 3 members to develop new methods of advanced space power and propulsion.
In an email to The Michigan Daily, Benjamin Jorns, associate professor of aerospace engineering and the head director of the institute, wrote that he hoped this collaboration would increase the University’s importance to the space industry.
“This is the first collaboration of this size at the University with the USSF, and it is an exciting opportunity to move fast,” Jorns wrote. “We hope this institute will make (the University) a go-to academic center for advanced space technology research for benefitting (the Department of Defense), commercial space and NASA.”
The service branch established the SSTI program through the USSF University Consortium to fund research on space technology that could eventually be used by the government. Last year, SSTI 1 highlighted geostationary orbits and space domains, while SSTI 2’s research centered around space mobility, access and logistics.
Jorns said academic institutions share a similar passion to USSF in research and converting developments into practical applications.
“Universities are uniquely positioned to tackle high-risk research — exploring novel ideas and solutions to hard problems,” Jorns wrote. “The hope is that some of these risks will pay off and enable new technologies for space applications. By partnering with small, agile businesses, the universities in turn have a vehicle for converting advances in the laboratory more rapidly into useful technologies.”
The service began accepting proposals for the third SSTI in December 2023. To be selected, the University submitted a white paper followed by a full proposal, resulting in an award of $34.9 million for research on solar cells, thrusters and other space power-related topics. Jorns said the University was selected because of its proficiency in areas of focus such as in-space propulsion research.
“The work we have done in recent years has positioned us to be able to hit the ground running with this institute,” Jorns said. “The University of Michigan is also a leading research center for pioneering groundbreaking power conversion and power management technologies. These core competencies are complemented by our team of experts from eight universities and seven small businesses across the country.”
Research for SSTI 3 will be a multidisciplinary effort at the University. According to Jorns, the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering and Chemical Engineering departments will all contribute to the institute, as well as members of the Space Physics Research Laboratory.
In an interview with The Daily, Rackham student William Hurley, a doctoral student at PEPL, said the opportunity to collaborate with other experts in different disciplines would be a key part of the success of the institute.
“I work very closely with all the people at PEPL, but we don’t often have a great opportunity to work with other labs or other institutions to see the way that they do things,” Hurley said. “I think having those opportunities to interact and form connections with experts in many different fields is really just invaluable, and is all really impossible without opportunities like this.”
Hurley also said the funding from the USSF would allow U-M researchers and students involved in the laboratories to dedicate more time and care to their research without worrying about financial burdens.
“It’s really exciting to know that people are interested and think that the work we’re doing is important,” Hurley said. “But also, it does really help give some freedom to explore hard challenges. I think it’s difficult sometimes when you maybe have to get something right on the first try, instantly. Now, if you have the leeway or the funding to try multiple things at once and really do a good job and get things done correctly, you’re not necessarily on as tight (or) constricted of a graduate student budget.”
Engineering junior Matt Nurick, the president of the U-M student branch of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, told The Daily the funding and selection from the USSF highlighted the University’s success in the aerospace field and would continue to increase opportunities for future programs and students.
“This investment is really a recognition of the excellence that our college embodies,” Nurick said. “It is a demonstration and actually a piece of extraordinary external feedback that the work undertaken at this institution is both meaningful and important. Not only will the funding enable the Aerospace Engineering department to continue to complete cutting edge research, but it also permits the University to continue to attract and recruit world-class resources and educators for all students to benefit from.”
Daily Staff Reporter Marissa Corsi can be reached at macorsi@umich.edu.
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