The NASA-sponsored Florida Space Grant Consortium (FSGC) at the University of Central Florida and the Florida Space Research Institute (FSRI) today announced the selection of 18 space research and education projects to receive over $357,000 in grant awards. The grants will combine federal and state funds for projects that support the expansion and diversification ofFlorida’s space industry in areas including spaceport technology; space-based research and payload development; and space education and training.
“Strategic investments like these will improveFlorida’s research and education capabilities while promoting space industry diversification,” said Florida Lt. Governor Toni Jennings. “By leveraging state and NASA funding, the grant program supports our mutual interests in space technology development.”
The approved projects will involve seven different universities, includingEmbry-RiddleAeronauticalUniversity;FloridaA&MUniversity;FloridaGulfCoastUniversity; Florida Institute of Technology;FloridaStateUniversity;University of CentralFlorida; andUniversityofFlorida. NASA and multiple companies will also be involved in the grant projects. The projects cover a variety of topics. Examples include thermal protection for reusable launch vehicles, a Mars aerial reconnaissance vehicle, automated inspection of Orbiter flaws, and early education for space science.
With this latest round of awards, the joint grant program has funded over $1.7 million since 2000 for university and community college space projects, many of them in partnership with industry. FSRI is working to expand the total funding available under the annual program by attracting other partners who share the state’s interest in sponsoring space research and education projects.
A listing of the grant projects, along with other projects that have been supported by the joint program since 2000, is posted on FSRI’s website at www.FSRI.org. Other grant awards are expected within the next several weeks.
FSRI is an institute established by the state’s Governor and Legislature to stimulateFlorida’s space industry diversification through academic support to space research and technology programs. FSGC, hosted at theUniversityofCentral Florida, is part of a nationwide NASA-sponsored network of 52 academic consortia responsible for supporting space research and education projects.
