NASA Partners with Space Florida Small Satellite Research Center for Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge

Under the terms of an agreement with the Space Florida Small Satellite Research Center of Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA has partnered with the company to manage the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge.

Just one of the space agency’s new Centennial Challenges prize competitions, the $2 million prize for the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge, goes to the company which is the first to be able to launch satellites with a mass of at least 2.2 pounds (1 kg) into Earth orbit, twice within the span of one week.

The format of the competition is similar to the X-prize competition which awarded a $10 million prize for a manned sub-orbital space flight. That prize was claimed by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan. With backing from Sir Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines, their new endeavor called Virgin Galactic is at work creating a space tourism business.

The Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge hopes to encourage innovations in propulsion systems, and related technologies which will eventually lead to safe, reliable, and cost-effective way to routinely get payloads into orbit.

“Monday’s agreement between NASA and Space Florida for use of facilities at the Kennedy Space Center even better positions the organization for managing this new Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge,” said Michael Gazarik, director for NASA’s Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Space Florida has extensive experience working with NASA, the FAA, the Air Force, commercial spaceflight companies and universities to advance their plans for spaceflight operations. We look forward to having the Space Florida Small Satellite Research Center overseeing the competition and bringing together innovative teams with creative problem-solving ideas.”

Last month, Pipistrel-USA won the first prize of $1.35 million in NASA’s CAFE Green Flight Challenge. The prize, which was the largest prize ever awarded in aviation, was for a competition which used electric airplanes to break all previous fuel efficiency records. We reported on that challenge in a earlier report which you can read here.

It was a similar competition, held decades ago, which led to the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic by Charles Lindbergh.

In all NASA has awarded close to $6 million in prize money, to 15 different teams, over 22 Centennial Challenges competition events since 2005. To find out more about the program, including complete guidelines and requirements, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/challenges
Additional information about the Nano-Satellite Launch Challenge is available from http://www.spaceflorida.gov/r-d