UB awarded $1 million for a “space economics” grant from the U.S. Space Force, AFRL – UBNow: News and views for UB faculty and staff

UB engineering professors John Crassidis and Moises Sudit have received $1 million from the U.S. Space Force and Air Force Research Laboratory to help advance the space economy.

The award is part of a larger $5 million grant from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Researchers will use the funds to address the challenges associated with tracking satellites, debris and other objects orbiting the Earth tens of thousands of kilometers away. This is a region of space known as high Earth orbit or “beyond geostationary” that is used for communications, navigation, scientific research and military operations.

“Space is more crowded than ever, and we expect the number of satellites, telescopes and other objects orbiting the Earth to continue to increase,” says Crassidis, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Moog Professor of Innovation in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and aerospace engineering.

As the United States becomes increasingly reliant on these tools, it is incredibly important that it develop sophisticated technologies to monitor and manage its activities, a research area called “Space Domain Awareness.”

NASA, the Space Force and private companies see significant potential for economic development in space, including on and around the moon, which orbits Earth at an average distance of 238,900 miles.

A key reason for this is the discovery of frozen water at the lunar south pole. It represents a potential game changer for space exploration, making it much easier to sustain human life on the moon and beyond.

This creates new opportunities and challenges. As more nations and companies set their sights on the moon for their economic development, the potential for conflict between them grows. As part of the research focus of the fellowship, the team aims to develop new decision-making tools to avoid conflicts and strategic surprises.

“While the United States has carried out many successful moon landings, we are working to develop tools and technologies to advance sustainable human economic activity there in the coming years,” said Sudit, a professor in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering and associate dean for research and graduate education at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Therefore, the project, called STARLIT, will fund a range of activities including lunar-oriented astrodynamics, sensory research and conflict simulation. It also aims to expand the space workforce by creating new educational pathways for college graduates.

The scholarship is administered by Universities Space Research. It also includes Purdue, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, the University of Texas Austin, and an industry advisory board of 11 aerospace companies.