UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A multi-institution team led by researchers at Penn State received a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC) planning grant to begin the process of establishing the Center for Research in Emerging Sustainable Space Technologies (CRES2T). The $20,000, one-year planning grant allows the researchers 12 months to garner letters of commitment from industry partners while finalizing details for the planned center. After one year, the NSF will review the plan and committed industry partners in consideration of more funding.
Puneet Singla, the Harry and Arlene Schell Professor of Engineering in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, will lead the center, with collaborators at Purdue University and Texas A&M.
“This center will be a hub for advancing space technology through collaboration between industry and the academy,” Singla said. “We want to focus on individual technologies that support sustainable space operations, as well as on integrating these technological advances into a cohesive, operational framework.”
According to Singla, as more companies and governments launch satellites for communications and other purposes into space, the orbital domain space is becoming more congested.
“As these orbits are getting congested, the satellite operators need to do maneuvers to make sure that the two satellites don't collide with each other every day,” he said. “These maneuvers are very expensive, because you are using fuel, leaving less fuel for the other operations of the satellite, impacting its longevity. It is important that we develop the technologies to reduce the space clutter and to avoid accidental collision between the satellite.”
Further, the satellites have a finite life.
“Right now, the state of the art is that when the satellite reaches the end of its life cycle, you attempt an end-of-the-life maneuver to either send it to a graveyard orbit, or guide it to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere,” Singla said. “Instead of relying solely on those approaches, we are exploring how to extend a satellite’s operational life through in-space service and repair. The question is: how do we develop the technologies that make life-extension of satellites possible?”
Singla said that in addition to developing and integrating technological advances in a variety of ways, the center will also help develop a workforce for the evolving space industry. In addition to training the students whose research projects will be supported through the center, CRES2T will develop microcredentials, certificate programs and courses for working professionals in the industry to offer continual state-of-the-art training.
“The space industry is changing at a rapid speed,” Singla said. “We are focused on how we can support this new space industry, both through tackling technical problems and developing the workforce.”
CRES2T will host a planning meeting with interested industry partners in early 2026 at University Park, where example projects will be presented and potential industry partners can learn what participation in CRES2T would look like before giving commitment letters.
Visit the CRES2T website for more information.