The Cornell-led New York Consortium for Space Technology Innovation and Development (NYCST) announced more than $300,000 has been allocated to support six projects through the inaugural round of the consortium’s funding program. The projects were selected during NYCST’s inaugural Space Innovation Symposium hosted June 14 on campus.

NYCST, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation through the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, aims to address the need for advanced defense space technology manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities by fostering collaboration among universities, research institutions, industry experts, and government agencies in New York state. The projects receiving NYCST support address these needs by supporting activities that include infrastructure improvements, workforce development, and research and development that strengthen and grow the defense space technology industrial base.

 “We are forging a new generation of space technology and defense capabilities in New York State and the country” said Professor Mason Peck, executive director at NYCST and the Stephen J. Fujikawa ’77 Professor of Astronautical Engineering. He added, “The projects selected today leverage the unique innovative strength of Cornell University’s and New York State’s defense space technology ecosystem that will inform the future of spaceflight and build the next generation of space systems.”

"We are excited to support the New York Consortium for Space Technology's initiative and look forward to the outcomes of their efforts to bring together diverse stakeholders to enhance space technology infrastructure, strengthen workforce capabilities, drive research and innovation, and support small businesses in the supply chain” said Patrick J. O’Brien, director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation.

The projects selected for funding are:

Cable-Driven 6 Degree-of-Freedom Spacecraft Motion Simulator for Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing - University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota will support installation of a cable-driven robot to be used to simulate the 6 degree-of-freedom motion of spacecraft mockup or sensor suite during rendezvous, in order to build a prototype for testing in Ward Hall high bay for NYCST members who need hardware-in-the-loop test platform to advance technology readiness level of novel spacecraft technology such as vision systems and navigation algorithms.

Situational Awareness Satellite System – Paterson Aerospace Systems, Corp.

Paterson Aerospace Systems, Corp., will develop a system to improve space domain awareness by enabling autonomous, in-situ and real-time threat detection and collision avoidance decision support for spacecraft.

In-Space Shaping of Deployable Space Structures – Cornell Space Structures Laboratory

The lab will develop an in-space assembly and manufacturing solution amenable to the responsive creation of large space structures by designing a deployable building block whose shape can be programmed through buckling during deployment, drastically reducing processing energy and thus build times.

Space Systems Cybersecurity Standard Testing – Space Infrastructure Lab

The lab will establish a hardware-in-the-loop testing environment and develop a set of standardized cybersecurity tests to enable the verification of space mission cybersecurity requirements proposed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association P3449 Working Group.

Space Technology Accelerator – Voyager Space Exploration Systems

Voyager will deliver a pilot program aimed at enhancing research and development, manufacturing and workforce capabilities by working with a cohort of companies to achieve strategic and technical solutions while creating detailed educational case studies and a comprehensive roadmap to guide consortium members in navigating the space technology innovation landscape. The pilot aims to set the stage for a scalable model that promotes broad technological advancements and leadership in the defense space industry.

Space Exploration and Career Discovery for K-12 – Science Buddies

Science Buddies will develop hands-on explorations and career discovery activities to support the STEM talent pipeline needed to grow the space industry workforce.