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UMass Lowell has secured .5 million in state funding to establish a research center focused on building and testing miniature satellites and components for spaceflight. The initiative, known as the Massachusetts Alliance for Space and Technology and Sciences (MASTS), is supported by a two-year, .5 million grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. The university and its partners have exceeded the grant requirements by pledging goods, services, and funds worth million in total for the center’s growth.

MASTS aims to leverage Massachusetts’ tech and innovation legacy to position the state at the forefront of the space industry. The global market for small satellites is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the resources secured for MASTS will expand the UMass Lowell Center for Space Science and Technology to provide facilities for the design, fabrication, testing, simulation, and validation of miniature satellites and satellite constellations.

The center will also focus on advancements in imaging optics, sensors, materials, power systems, cooling and navigation systems, communications electronics, and antennas, which are crucial for space missions. UMass Lowell has a successful track record in space technology, having launched multiple NASA-funded missions and a miniature satellite developed by UMass Lowell students.

MASTS will offer students from UMass Lowell and other institutions in Massachusetts the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in aerospace projects. This initiative aligns with the university’s expanded physics and engineering programs, which now include an aerospace studies minor for undergraduates and an aerospace sciences option for doctoral candidates in physics.

In addition, MASTS funding will support the design, build, testing, and launch of a new satellite prototype called Chickadee, proposed by UMass Lowell physics professor Supriya Chakrabarti. The scientific discoveries and technologies developed through MASTS have the potential to drive innovation and create new startup companies, particularly in the robotics industry.

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