Rice University has added an $8.1 million U.S. Space Force award to its previously approved Texas Space Commission (TSC) funding, giving the university $22.3 million to stand up two new space research centers.
The new development is an $8.1 million federal cooperative agreement for the Center for Advanced Space Sensing Technologies at Rice, which the university said will develop remote sensing and sensemaking technologies for space applications.
That award builds on TSC's earlier conditional approval of a $14.2 million grant for a proposed Center for Space Technologies within the Rice Space Institute. The commission said that center is expected to focus on research and development, technology transfer and innovation, statewide partnerships, workforce development training and space-focused education programs.
Rice said the Space Force-backed center will include partners from the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Santa Barbara; Georgia Institute of Technology; and Houston-based Aegis Aerospace, while the TSC-funded center is aimed at statewide partnerships and workforce development.
Rice Space Institute Tops $22.3M in Funding With Space Force Award
What to Know:
- Rice has secured $22.3 million in combined new funding for two space research centers.
- The newest piece is an $8.1 million U.S. Space Force award for a center focused on sensing and data analysis.
- An earlier $14.2 million Texas Space Commission award supports a second center focused on research, partnerships and workforce training.
