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RIT selected to help lead space exploration research
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS III-5 satellite into orbit launches from LC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. RIT will use funding from the U.S. Space Force to make advancements in space exploration. (photo credit: Airman 1st Class Samuel Becker/U.S. Space Force)
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS III-5 satellite into orbit launches from LC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. RIT will use funding from the U.S. Space Force to make advancements in space exploration. (photo credit: Airman 1st Class Samuel Becker/U.S. Space Force)
RIT selected to help lead space exploration research
Listen to this articleRochester Institute of Technology has been selected to lead the United States Space Force University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3 (SSTI) research that focused on advanced space power and propulsion and includes $9.9 million in funding.
As a center leader for the SSTI, RIT will work with other university partners to develop lower-cost, sustainable solar cells that can be used for power systems. The University of Michigan is also a lead institution for the research.
The research is in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory and will enable space power and propulsion technology that will transition to the U.S. Department of Defense.
Advancing space technologies has become a large focus of funding for both private and governmental and military purposes. As a result, the commercialization of space has increased the demand for cheaper materials that can withstand harsher environments for longer periods of time.
“We’re trying to look at innovative new materials,” said Seth Hubbard, RIT professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy and director of the SSTI research center. “It’s very important to find materials that are scalable, manufacturable, but can also withstand the extreme environments in space.”
The team will be building off work by Ahmad Kirmani, RIT assistant professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science.
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