Cornell University is spearheading the New York Space Innovation and Development Consortium, a new initiative that brings together industry, academic and government partners across New York State to strengthen U.S. space technology research and manufacturing capabilities.
The consortium is funded by a $5 million grant from the Defense Manufacturing Community Assistance Program, run by the U.S. Department of Defense, and $1.8 million from Cornell University, and is a collaborative venture led by Cornell’s Sibley Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in partnership with the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) and the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR).
“We are building the capacity of New York and our industrial collaborators to design, build, test, integrate and potentially operate space technology, which will make a difference in how companies compete at home and abroad,” said Mason Peck, the consortium’s executive director and the Steven J. Fujikawa Professor of Astronautical Engineering (Class of 1977).
Part of the funding will be used to upgrade Cornell University’s High Voltage Laboratory, a 14,000-square-foot facility on Mitchell Street for research, development and testing of space technologies and related applications.
Funds will also be used to provide professional training and education through academic fellowships, internships and annual competitive grants for research and development, as well as provide small business assistance to consortium members.
“To drive innovation in space exploration, we need to provide researchers with a collaborative environment, great minds, and access to world-class facilities that empower them to tackle challenges that are literally out of this world,” said Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Christine Van Vleet. “Cornell excels in this regard, and our contributions will undoubtedly bring us closer to realizing humanity’s most ambitious goals.”
The CHESS and CCMR facilities will serve as key locations where consortium partners can access Cornell’s research capabilities and expertise in materials science, biomaterials, biological systems and nanofabrication for the development and testing of space technologies.
“This opportunity highlights our commitment to providing cutting-edge synchrotron characterization capabilities to advance Department of Defense priorities and advance New York’s industrial and manufacturing capabilities,” said Joel Block, CHESS director and Given Foundation Professor of Engineering. “This consortium demonstrates the value the University brings when Cornell Research Innovation partners with academic departments to achieve great things.”
The consortium is the latest development in Cornell’s illustrious space technology history and builds on other government investments involving Cornell, including the NASA New York Space Grant Consortium and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Regional Hub Network Mid-Atlantic, both of which have agreed to become members of the consortium along with more than 20 industry, academic and government organizations.
“CCMR has long been committed to fostering technological growth and economic expansion through interdisciplinary collaboration, and we look forward to helping strengthen the defense and space technology industrial ecosystem through this new consortium,” said Frank Wise, CCMR director and Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Engineering.
In addition to expanding workforce development, Peck said the consortium will position New York companies to technologically advance future “big space” dreams, such as contributing spacecraft for sustained lunar stays and manufacturing in microgravity.
“Fundamental research informs how we build space infrastructure and very large objects in space, whether it’s for science, defense or commercial purposes,” said Peck, who directs Cornell’s Space Systems Design Studio and was a former NASA chief engineer. “So it’s Cornell’s role to help New York companies advance their capabilities to tackle these challenges.”
Syl Kacapyr is the associate director of marketing and communications at Cornell Engineering.
