As humans continue to look to the stars when it comes to new research and innovations, the ability to perform science and test technologies in space is essential. However, barriers like funding and access to a launch can be prohibitive. Thanks to a new partnership between Texas A&M University and Aegis Aerospace, testing experiments in space may be a reality for Aggie researchers.
The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has approved Texas A&M University to enter into a contract with Aegis Aerospace for the Texas A&M / Aegis Aerospace Multi-Use Space Platform Integrating Research & Innovative Technology (TAMU-SPIRIT) facility, an external research facility on the International Space Station (ISS) that will exclusively house experiments from Texas A&M researchers. TAMU-SPIRIT will be a dedicated facility for activities such as in-space research, testing, advanced materials manufacturing, robotics testing, space surveillance and tracking technologies. Texas A&M researchers will have exclusive priority rights to send science, engineering and technology experiments to be installed on the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility. The Texas A&M University System, Texas A&M University and the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station will also invest in TAMU-SPIRIT.
“The Texas A&M System is making major investments into the future of Texas today,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “This project aligns with our commitment to providing high-quality educational experiences and responding to the needs of Texas residents.”
Now, thanks to our partnership with Aegis Aerospace and support from Chancellor Sharp and The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility will pave the way for Aggie researchers to push the boundaries of space innovation. Our research is already out of this world; it’s fitting that we’re making it official.
“As a space-grant university, Texas A&M has led the way in space research and exploration for decades,” said General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M University. “Now, thanks to our partnership with Aegis Aerospace and support from Chancellor Sharp and The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents, the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility will pave the way for Aggie researchers to push the boundaries of space innovation. Our research is already out of this world; it’s fitting that we’re making it official.”
“The TAMU-SPIRIT facility will allow Texas A&M researchers and students to make a lasting impact across disciplines,” said Dr. Robert H. Bishop, vice chancellor and dean of Texas A&M Engineering. “With a presence on the ISS, Texas A&M will continue to be a leader in space research.”
To make this facility possible, Texas A&M will partner with Aegis Aerospace to develop, integrate, deploy and operate the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility. Aegis Aerospace CEO and Chairman Stephanie Murphy ’00, ’14 is a generous supporter of Texas A&M. Aegis Aerospace has offered financial support toward this project, including supplies and services needed to fly and operate Texas A&M’s science experiments, engineering research and technology demonstrations.
“This partnership is a wonderful opportunity for Texas A&M to do something bold,” said Murphy. “As far as I am aware, TAMU-SPIRIT will make Texas A&M the first university with private access to a flight facility on the International Space Station.”
To determine what experiments will be selected for the flight facility, there will be an open call for experiments every six months. Students, faculty and other researchers from Texas A&M will be invited to propose experiments from any discipline for selection. Texas A&M conducts novel research in a wide variety of disciplines, meaning that the selected experiments might come from fields one may not typically associate with space research, such as agriculture or zoology.
The TAMU-SPIRIT facility will allow Texas A&M researchers and students to make a lasting impact across disciplines. With a presence on the ISS, Texas A&M will continue to be a leader in space research.
“Access to space is a large barrier to space research, and this facility creates an opportunity to set Texas A&M apart from other universities,” said Professor John Connolly, a professor of practice in the Texas A&M University Department of Aerospace Engineering who will lead the TAMU-SPIRIT project for Texas A&M.
Selected experiments will be required to fit into the pre-built science carriers that provide power and data storage. The experiment packages will be flown in individual sample carriers and installed robotically on TAMU-SPIRIT. The flight facility can accommodate up to twelve individual science carriers at any time, positioned in orientations from deep space to Earth viewing. Science carriers will be returned to Earth for data analysis and post-mission processing, allowing researchers the rare opportunity to examine the effects of low-Earth orbit on their experiments upon return.
The design for the TAMU-SPIRIT Flight Facility will be based on the MISSE Flight Facility, a commercial flight facility designed and owned by Aegis Aerospace that allows researchers to purchase a spot on the science carrier. Since its commercial launch in 2018, MISSE has housed over 2,000 experiments. Murphy has agreed to contribute MISSE’s design to this project with Texas A&M. The flight facility will take approximately two years to build, with aspirations for the first experiments to be launched in 2027.
“This would not be possible without the support of Texas A&M leadership,” notes Murphy. “When the concept of TAMU-SPIRIT was introduced, Dr. Ivett Leyva, Dr. Robert Bishop and Chancellor John Sharp understood the extraordinary impact it would have for Aggie researchers.”