UA Becomes US Space Command’s First Academic Engagement Partner

The University of Arizona continues its lead in space science as the first Academic Engagement Enterprise Partner for the US Space Command. The Space Command's new enterprise is designed to train the future workforce and increase research related to space and national security. The US Space Command, part of the Department of Defense, is responsible for military operations that take place 100 kilometers and greater above the Earth's surface. With multiple NASA contracts and a successful history of space science, the UA was a clear choice to lead the role. 

“U.S. Space Command recognizes the incredible collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership opportunities the University of Arizona presents to our command and workforce,” said Col. Doug Drake, U.S. Space Command Chief of Training and Education. “With the full spectrum of space-science programs and degrees, the University of Arizona and its faculty provide an academic standard for others to emulate."

AME associate professor Jekan Thanga will coordinate with UA's multiple space partners to establish a "formal, graduate-level program in space research," addressing needs identified by USSPACECOM.

“The expected wider expansion into space will require mastery in living and working within cislunar space,” Thanga said. “The university, through long experience-spanning space missions, technology and habitats, will be developing a multiprong education program and skillset that will equip USSPACECOM personnel tackle these challenges.”