Space Force doubles down on academia with more tech consortia in the works

The Space Force is quietly building a network of university-led research hubs aimed at solving some of its thorniest space technology challenges — and it’s putting about $115 million behind the effort over five years.

Speaking last week at the National Defense Industrial Association’s emerging technologies conference, Gillian Bussey, the Space Force’s deputy chief science officer, said the program is designed to push academic research beyond the whiteboard and into operational use.

The partnerships, called Space Strategic Technology Institutes (SSTIs), are consortiums designed to "generate revolutionary technologies and help transition them,” Bussey told attendees.

How the program works

The SSTI program launched in 2023 and is jointly funded with the Air Force Research Laboratory. Unlike traditional single-award research contracts, each SSTI requires a lead university to partner with at least two other academic institutions. Most also rope in private companies and nonprofit labs, creating research ecosystems that mirror the way the commercial space sector operates.

“These technology institutes are somewhat unique,” Bussey said. “They’re structured to encourage collaboration and accelerate the path from research to fielded capability.”

So far, three SSTIs are active:

Space domain awareness: The first contract, awarded in August 2023 to the University of Colorado Boulder and Virginia Tech, is focused on monitoring activity in geostationary Earth orbit and beyond. Space is increasingly crowded with satellites and vulnerable to potential adversary interference.

In-space mobility and logistics: A second institute, launched in January 2024, is led by the University of Cincinnati and Texas A&M. Its work centers on technologies to maneuver, refuel and maintain spacecraft once they’re in orbit.

Space power and propulsion: The most recent award, made in September 2024, went to the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan. The consortium is working on next-generation propulsion systems and power technologies.

Bussey confirmed that all three institutes are now operating. A fourth SSTI contract is set to be announced soon, with a fifth solicitation expected “in the near future.”

The big picture

For the Space Force, challenges such as tracking spacecraft in geostationary orbit, developing refueling infrastructure and advancing propulsion systems are seen as critical to sustaining operations in contested orbits.

By seeding university-led collaborations with industry and nonprofits, the service hopes to capture both cutting-edge ideas and a steady pipeline of technical talent. The program’s scale is modest compared to major acquisition programs, but officials say the intent is to spin promising technologies into larger defense projects.