A team of underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ from the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ is one step closer to a potential deployment of its robotic rover to explore Mars.

“Team Robotic Space Exploration” (Team RoSE) is headed to Utah in late May to compete in the —the world’s premier robotics competition for college ߣsirÊÓƵ.

“The team was in awe of the results, but is greatly motivated to improve upon our designs to be prepared for competition in Utah,” said lead systems integrator and student Jack Saito. “With less than 60 days left, the team is hoping to guarantee the success of our systems and eliminate any risks with thorough and persistent testing.”

After submitting a preliminary design and system acceptance review, the group was one of 38 teams selected to participate in the final round. More than 100 teams entered the competition.

“The entire team was ecstatic with the results knowing all the hard work and dedication had paid off; including all members from the past three years,” said project manager and mechanical engineering student Micah Chang. “It’s a great privilege for Team RoSE to participate in this magnificent event, and the team is excited for this opportunity to interact with peers and professionals from around the globe.”

Mission to Mars

The University Rover Challenge challenges teams to design and build the next generation of Mars rovers that may one day work alongside astronauts exploring the Red Planet.

Rovers will compete in four missions:

• Science mission to investigate a site for the presence of life
• Delivery mission to deliver a variety of objects to astronauts in the field across rugged terrain
• Equipment servicing mission to perform dexterous operations on a mock lander using a robotic arm
• Autonomous navigation mission to autonomously travel to a series of locations

“I’m so incredibly proud and impressed by the achievements of this highly motivated group of ߣsirÊÓƵ,” said Frances Zhu, assistant researcher and the team’s advisor. “This underߣsirÊÓƵuate team formed just three years ago during the pandemic and now they are competing on the international stage.”

“This is the third time our ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ team has entered this very prestigious competition and the first time they were selected,” said Trevor Sorensen, specialist/project manager and the team’s advisor. “Their teamwork and engineering skills are very impressive and I believed that this team would succeed. Go ‘Bows!”

VIP project

is one of approximately 20 (VIP) at ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹, which seek to foster long-term, in-depth, project-based learning to engage ߣsirÊÓƵ and better prepare them for future careers. It consists of a faculty mentor, ߣsirÊÓƵuate student researchers and underߣsirÊÓƵuates.

“Robotic Space Exploration is an ideal example of a VIP team,” said Aaron Ohta, professor and VIP program director. “They are a multidisciplinary group of extremely talented and motivated ߣsirÊÓƵ. This impressive accomplishment is a testament to their hard work and dedication.”

“This is why we encourage all our ߣsirÊÓƵ to participate in VIP,” said College of Engineering Dean Brennon Morioka. “It exposes them to all the skill sets they will need in their careers and life—from the technical know-how to working with others to public speaking and leadership qualities.”

—By Marc Arakaki

A satellite designed and built by a team of more than 60 ߣsirÊÓƵ and faculty from the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa successfully launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 21. The Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) satellite launched aboard the SpaceX commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), deployment from the ISS is expected in May. The mission is expected to last one year.

“It is so special that I was able to watch my first live rocket launch with something I helped make on board,” said Chiara Ferrari-Wong, a ߣsirÊÓƵ ߣsirÊÓƵuate research assistant who traveled to Florida to watch the launch. “The launch represented a culmination of our team’s hard work and efforts over the past few years, and will remain one of my core memories of my time at ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa. I am incredibly fortunate to have worked with the team and had the opportunity to see the spacecraft go from concept to reality.”

ߣsirÊÓƵ satellite to study volcanic activity, more

The project’s focus is to gather valuable data for understanding Earth’s surface processes, including volcanic activity, wildfires and soil-moisture levels. Led by Principal Investigator Robert Wright, director of the (HIGP), the project began in October 2018, with funding from NASA‘s In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies Program.

“We have a couple of volcanoes here within the state which regularly erupt,” said Wright. “And the kind of data that HyTI will collect will be useful to study the eruptions that happen in the future within the state of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi.”

Related story: Students, staff and faculty head to NASA launch of ߣsirÊÓƵ satellite, February 2024

The HyTI satellite, officially owned by NASA and operated by the , was selected in 2019 as part of NASA‘s CubeSat Launch Initiative, under the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. Equipped with onboard data processing capabilities, the satellite will deliver high-resolution thermal images, surpassing the capabilities of current sensors. These images will enable scientists and disaster response managers to analyze and respond to environmental events with precision and speed.

ߣsirÊÓƵ ߣsirÊÓƵ, staff and faculty have been actively involved in the development of the HyTI satellite, including six faculty members, 15 staff, eight ߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, two post-docs, 30 underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ and six high school interns.

In an unprecedented opportunity for hands-on involvement in space exploration, a team of ߣsirÊÓƵ and faculty from the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa are eagerly anticipating the launch of the Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI) satellite. Members of the team are preparing to travel to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to witness the launch firsthand on March 14.

“This project has been a highly collaborative effort since its inception,” said Wright. “Many University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa ߣsirÊÓƵ, staff and faculty have been involved in the design, integration, and testing of the satellite. We are thrilled to watch the HyTI satellite launch into space and begin the next phase of processing high-resolution thermal images.”

“Being a part of the development for the HyTI satellite with HSFL (ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Space Flight Laboratory) was truly a wonderful opportunity that allowed me to be a part of something so tremendous; that is, building a satellite!” said second-year mechanical engineering student Kent Miyahara.

The HyTI satellite, equipped with onboard data processing capabilities, will deliver high-resolution thermal images, surpassing the capabilities of current sensors. These images will enable scientists and disaster response managers to analyze and respond to environmental events with precision and speed.

“HyTI is the first NASA mission made in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi and possibly one of the most advanced 6U CubeSats in the world,” said Miguel Nunes, deputy principal investigator and systems engineer for the HyTI Mission.

The HyTI satellite, officially owned by NASA and operated by the HSFL, was selected in 2019 as part of NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative, under the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites program. Scheduled to launch aboard the SpX-30 Dragon CRS-2 commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), deployment from the ISS is expected in May. The mission duration is estimated to be one year.

Real-world student experience

ߣsirÊÓƵ ߣsirÊÓƵ, staff and faculty have been actively involved in the development of the HyTI satellite, including six faculty members, 15 staff, eight ߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, two post-docs, 30 underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ and six high school interns.

“The mere fact that I have been a part of building a satellite that will be orbiting the Earth in the near future, aimed down at us from many, many miles above, furthering the scientific understanding of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi is absolutely mind blowing and amazing,” Miyahara said.

“It was super cool and exciting to work on something that pushed the boundaries of what’s possible with cutting edge technology to help solve problems of today,” mechanical engineering senior Kenny Son said.

“One of the highlights of my experience working on HyTI was utilizing theory from my classes to contribute to the development of a physical product destined for space,” said third year electrical engineering student Jhon Leo Gabion.

“This has been an incredible opportunity for ߣsirÊÓƵ, and training our local aerospace workforce, by providing real-world experience working with professional engineers on a NASA mission with real requirements and hardware,” said Yosef Ben Gershom, operations manager at HSFL.

The University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa and the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to cooperate in the field of space sciences, which can include space-based observations looking down on the Earth, particularly over the Pacific region, as well as looking at the stars and other planets.

“This program is one important step toward making ߣsirÊÓƵʻi the nation’s center for space-based observation of the Pacific,” said ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. “There is a real need to better understand what’s going on in the Pacific. It’s this vast domain that is impossible to monitor, especially from the ground. You really have to begin to monitor from space.”

The MOU is effective for three years with both institutions committing to faculty, scholar and student exchanges; sharing academic information, materials and publications; joint research programs; conferences and other student initiatives. The agreement also prioritizes autonomy and financial independence.

MDAA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that advocates for the development of missile defense systems. They also advocate for multi-use platforms that can make critical Earth observations for civilian needs.

The development of this new program will involve ߣsirÊÓƵ ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s , the , the and the (IfA).

• Related ߣsirÊÓƵ News story: Space-bound payload tested by ߣsirÊÓƵ ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Space Flight Lab team, October 27, 2023

“I think a critical need is to connect our leading-edge research to education, and that is a big part of what this program is going to seek to do,” said Bruno.

The MOU will further incorporate a variety of technology development programs at ߣsirÊÓƵ, and space research that is being conducted across different units at ߣsirÊÓƵ, to enhance ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s ability to monitor the Pacific region.

“Instead of looking up, it’s going to look down with sensors to pick up the ability to see the entire Pacific, which we have not done in the history of mankind,” said Riki Ellison, MDAA chairman and founder. “This will be the first time that we will be able to see everything around us in the Pacific, whether it’s movements of fish, ships, planes, agriculture, everything.”

ߣsirÊÓƵ also announced in January 2024 that it is in the initial stages of establishing a space engineering and instrument development center, a joint initiative between the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa College of Engineering, IfA and ߣsirÊÓƵ Hilo.

Micrometeorites (small particles of rock in space, usually weighing less than a gram) originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer solar system may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That discovery, based on material gathered from an asteroid, was published on November 30 in by an international team of researchers, including University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa scientists, led by Kyoto University.

Nitrogen compounds, such as ammonium salts, are abundant in material born in regions far from the sun, but evidence of their transport to Earth’s orbital region had been poorly understood.

“Our recent findings suggest that a greater amount of nitrogen compounds than previously recognized was transported near Earth where they potentially served as building blocks for life on our planet,” said Hope Ishii, study co-author and affiliate faculty at the in the ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa (SOEST).

The asteroid Ryugu is a small, rocky object that orbits the sun. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft explored Ryugu and brought material from its surface back to Earth in 2020. This intriguing asteroid is rich in carbon and has undergone significant space weathering caused by micrometeorite collisions and exposure to charged ions streaming from the sun.

Looking for evidence of space weathering

In this study, the scientists aimed to discover clues about the materials arriving near Earth’s orbit, where Ryugu is currently located, by examining the evidence of space weathering in Ryugu samples. Using an electron microscope, they found that the surface of the Ryugu samples is covered with tiny minerals composed of iron and nitrogen.

“We proposed that tiny meteorites, called micrometeorites, containing ammonia compounds were delivered from icy celestial bodies and collided with Ryugu,” said Toru Matsumoto, lead author of the study and assistant professor at Kyoto University. “The micrometeorite collisions trigger chemical reactions on magnetite and lead to the formation of the iron nitride.”

The iron nitride was observed on the surface of magnetite, which consists of iron and oxygen atoms. When magnetite is exposed to the space environment, oxygen atoms are lost from the surface by the irradiation of hydrogen ions from the sun (solar wind) and by heating through micrometeorite impact. These processes form metallic iron on the very surface of the magnetite, which readily reacts with ammonia—creating ideal conditions for synthesis of iron nitride.

“Discovering iron nitride on the surfaces was a surprise,” said Ishii. “It indicates that significantly more nitrogen could have been delivered to early Earth than we previously thought, helping with the eventual development of life. Surprises like this are what make studying returned extraterrestrial samples so exciting!”

As one of the most geographically isolated regions in the world, ߣsirÊÓƵʻi residents contend with the highest electricity prices in the U.S., about double the national average. This is due largely in part to a heavy dependence on imported petroleum and lack of fossil fuel resources.

However, below the ߣsirÊÓƵian Islands lies a geological hotspot in the Earth’s mantle that has been active for the past 70 million years, formed the island archipelago and continues to fuel ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s active volcanoes. Because of this hotspot and the presence of subsurface heat, the use of geothermal energy can prove to be a viable option to solve some of the state’s energy woes.

Geothermal electricity is clean, inexpensive and firm—with the last meaning that is “always on” regardless of weather conditions or time of day. Geothermal also has the lowest land footprint compared to solar power and wind, and, unlike the other intermittent resources, no battery storage is needed. Currently, the state’s lone geothermal plant on ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Island produces five times the amount of electricity as one of the state’s largest solar farms, while requiring 80% less land area.

Evidence collected by the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ suggests that all of the major ߣsirÊÓƵian Islands may hold the subsurface heat that is necessary to produce geothermal energy. However, the current state of understanding of geothermal potential outside of KÄ«lauea’s East Rift Zone (KERZ), the most active rift of the state’s most active volcano on ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Island, is very limited. KERZ is where geothermal exploration was focused in the 1970s, and is the only location in the ߣsirÊÓƵian archipelago where geothermal electric power is being produced.

ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Groundwater and Geothermal Resources Center

As ߣsirÊÓƵʻi is the only U.S. state without a geological survey, ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ has contributed much of what is known about ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s geology. Since producing ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s first geothermal well in the 1970s, ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ has spearheaded ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s geothermal research, including producing the only two statewide resource assessments by Professors Donald Thomas and Nicole Lautze of the (HIGP) in 1985 and 2017, respectively. HIGP is housed in the ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ .

Realizing the need to provide a central hub from which to disseminate data and information from their numerous geothermal and groundwater research projects throughout the state, Lautze and Thomas founded the (HGGRC) in 2014. HGGRC, led by Lautze, conducts research on ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s fresh groundwater, geothermal (including shallow geothermal heat pump technology for building cooling) and carbon storage potential.

ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Play Fairway Project

The ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Play Fairway project was among HGGRC’s most important initiatives. ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ was one of 11 initial phase I projects selected and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy from across the country to identify blind hydrothermal systems (those without surface expression). The project, led by Lautze, received subsequent phase II and III funding from 2014–20 and provided the first statewide geothermal assessment of the ߣsirÊÓƵian Islands since Thomas’ original report in 1985.

Ultimately, the ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Play Fairway Project provided an updated statewide geothermal resource assessment, expanded understanding of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi’s groundwater location and quality, and a roadmap for additional work to better characterize both resources. HGGRC’s philosophy is that more data will bring more knowledge, and that when this knowledge is shared with stakeholders and communities, more informed decisions can be made.

“I think nearly everyone in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi would value a low cost, low footprint, resilient, Indigenous, energy supply. But there are tradeoffs for some. If geothermal has a chance, community engagement will play a critical role,” said Lautze. “HGGRC will continue to work with stakeholders and local communities to advocate for the necessary funding to move the state one step closer to understanding and realizing its geothermal potential.”

She added, “The global geothermal community wonders why there isn’t more geothermal electricity generation in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi. The answer is complex, but I think that if we could get even a small power plant online in a location where the local community is supportive, I think it would be transformative for our state.”

For more on the ߣsirÊÓƵʻi Play Fairway Project objectives, . Noelo is ߣsirÊÓƵ’s research magazine from the .

On the surface of many of the icy moons in our solar system, scientists have documented strike-slip faults, those that occur when fault walls in the ground’s crust move past one another sideways, as is the case at the San Andreas fault in California. Two recently published studies led by University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ earth and space scientists document and reveal the mechanisms behind these geologic features on the largest moon of Saturn, Titan, and Jupiter’s largest moon, Ganymede.

Conducting these types of geologic investigations prior to launch and arrival of space exploration missions, helps identify interesting locations for lander exploration and maximizes what can be learned from extraterrestrial icy moons.

“We are interested in studying these features on icy moons because that type of faulting can facilitate the exchange of surface and subsurface materials through heating processes, potentially creating environments conducive for the emergence of life,” said Liliane Burkhard, lead author of the studies and research affiliate at the in the ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ .

When an icy moon moves around its parent planet, the gravity of the planet can exert tidal forces. Rather than creating high and low tides as in Earth’s ocean, on an icy moon, the tidal pull puts stress on the icy surface and can drive geologic activity such as strike-slip faulting.

Titan, a frozen ocean world

The extremely cold temperatures on the surface of Titan mean that water ice acts as rock that can crack, fault, and deform. Evidence from the Cassini spacecraft suggests that tens of miles below the frozen surface, there is a liquid water ocean. Further, Titan is the only moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere, which, uniquely, supports an Earth-like hydrological cycle of methane clouds, rain, and liquid flowing across the surface to fill lakes and seas, placing it among a handful of worlds that could potentially contain habitable environments.

The NASA Dragonfly mission will launch in 2027, with a planned arrival on Titan in 2034. The novel rotorcraft lander will conduct several flights on the surface, exploring a variety of locations to search for the building blocks and signs of life.

In their of the Selk crater area on Titan, the designated initial landing site for the Dragonfly mission, Burkhard and her co-author explored the potential for strike-slip faulting. To do this, they calculated the stress that would be exerted on Titan’s surface due to tidal forces as the moon orbits Saturn and tested the possibility of faulting by examining various characteristics of the frozen ground.

“Our prior research indicated that certain areas on Titan might currently undergo deformation due to tidal stresses. However, the conditions we’ve determined to be necessary for strike-slip fault displacement appear to be unlikely in the Selk crater region,” said Burkhard. “Consequently, it’s safe to infer that Dragonfly won’t be landing in a strike-slip ditch!”

In a second recently , Burkhard and her colleagues also examined the geology of Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter and larger than planet Mercury, to investigate its history with tidal stress. In particular, the team looked at a region called Nippur Philus Sulci, where new terrain overlays older terrain. During the investigation of intermediate aged and younger parts of this area, the team found the direction of their slip features to have different alignments. This suggests that features in the youngest terrains may have formed through processes other than high tidal stress.

“We can conclude that Ganymede has had a tidal ‘midlife crisis,’ but it’s youngest ‘crisis’ remains enigmatic,” Burkhard added.

University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ who have been developing a satellite to launch into space in 2024 earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire () In Switzerland for its RD51 Detector School November 27–December 1.

The RD51 Detector School is an intensive one week lecture and laboratory course. The school is primarily for PhD ߣsirÊÓƵ, making it an incredible accomplishment to have three ߣsirÊÓƵ Mānoa underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ accepted.

“This is an extraordinary success for the underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, and for the (EPET) program, which has enabled all of this through its student-centered approach to high-quality underߣsirÊÓƵuate research and through its support to assist ߣsirÊÓƵ being successful in their learning and research efforts,” said Peter Englert, a professor in the (HIGP).

HIGP developed the EPET certificate to provide underߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ with an opportunity to design research projects and build payloads for Earth, Moon and Sun observing satellites with the goal of producing, launching and operating their satellites.

Current EPET ߣsirÊÓƵ Sapphira Akins, Howin Ma and Chris Freitas applied to participate in the RD51 Detector School. Akins and Ma were accepted for in-person participation in Switzerland, and Freitas was accepted for participation in the online part of the school. All three ߣsirÊÓƵ are part of the CubeSat Relativistic Electron and Proton Energy Separator (CREPES) project.

“I feel very grateful to be able to study in a community such as the one at CERN!” said Akins. “Programs like these help me to push myself academically. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of micro patterned gaseous detectors, and ways in which we can implement them in space.”

“I believe that the insights and experiences I gain from being a part of such a prestigious institution will serve as a powerful source of motivation, inspiring me to set and achieve even higher standards for myself,” said Ma. “I also love traveling, and experiencing other cultures so I’m excited for my time in Switzerland.”

Mentorship from a leading expert

In spring 2023, to learn more about gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors and their potential application to space research, EPET turned to Fabio Sauli of CERN. Sauli is the world’s leading expert on GEM and micro-pattern gaseous detectors. Sauli provided four Zoom lectures to the CREPES group with extensive discussion sessions, which provided the background knowledge in advancing the CREPES project.

The RD51 Detector School will provide Akins and Ma with additional skills that are important in the final design and assembly of the CREPES flight detector, which will be built in 2024. The learning modules of the school include gas detector physics and technologies, GEM foil manufacturing techniques, detector read out techniques, modeling and simulations. Akins and Ma will bring back advanced knowledge to help contribute to the success of the CREPES mission plan.

“In particular, we are working on a project here at ߣsirÊÓƵ that is attempting to put a gas electron multiplier in space, a detector that doesn’t appear to have any flight heritage,” said Akins. “Being able to receive valuable hands-on experience with this detector, and many similar, will be significant when it comes to understanding how to properly integrate it into a satellite.”

In November, the CREPES group will prepare a proposal to the CubeSat Launch Initiative to obtain support for the launch of their GEM detector mission into space at the end of 2024 or early 2025. Writing such a proposal is a significant task for a student research group.

supported the CERN opportunity through providing travel resources for the student’s participation. Students have been supported by internships, internships and conference travel grants.

The first prototype of Pono, a computing and dynamic tasking hosted payload developed by Privateer, completed environmental testing at the University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at Mānoa over the summer. UnderߣsirÊÓƵuate ߣsirÊÓƵ, faculty, and staff at the (HSFL) partnered with Privateer, a local company with headquarters in Maui, to assist with testing their payload.

HSFL was established in 2007 as a partnership between the and the , and is also embedded as a laboratory of the . This opportunity helped train ߣsirÊÓƵ in workforce development, and supported the local economy by utilizing ߣsirÊÓƵ infrastructure that had already been developed.

“We look forward to continuing to work together and support them with design and testing for the next Pono payload and future projects,” said Yosef Ben Gershom, an HSFL Engineer.

In collaboration with Privateer’s engineers, HSFL’s equipment and technical expertise—including clean room, shaker table, and thermal vacuum chamber—enabled successful vibration and thermal vacuum testing of the payload’s ability to operate in space-like conditions.

“As a multidisciplinary research and education center, our mission is to help develop and support the aerospace industry in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi through workforce development and establishing infrastructure,” Ben Gershom said. “Collaborations with local companies and groups such as Privateer are crucial to diversifying and growing our island economy.”

Researchers hope the collaboration is a precursor to a continuing partnership, which could include future testing, technical reviews and interchange and mutually growing the talent and employment opportunities offered by aerospace and tech industries in ߣsirÊÓƵʻi.

Due to its launch expertise, University of ߣsirÊÓƵʻi at ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s (HSFL) secured an $8 million technology demonstration mission funded by the NASA Earth Science Technology Office’s competitive In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies program, one of only 15 awarded since 2012.

The flagship HSFL project led by (HIGP) Director Robert Wright features HSFL’s Hyperspectral Thermal Imager (HyTI), a high-performance successor of its Space Ultra-Compact Hyperspectral Interferometer and TIRCIS technologies, in a 6U CubeSat (nanosatellite). The instrument uses a Fabry-Perot interferometer which splits light emitted by the materials that make up Earth’s surface and atmosphere, and from an orbit 400 km above Earth’s surface will allow HyTI to measure the chemical composition of gases, rocks, and soils based on their unique ‘spectral fingerprints.’

Built without any moving parts that can be damaged during launch, HyTI will deliver spatial resolution or image quality similar to the Landsat 9 satellite, currently the only U.S. satellite operating to observe the Earth’s surface. HyTI will offer even higher spectral resolution—which will help to identify and characterize materials and objects—greatly advancing the ability to study Earth system processes and broader applications.

“This technology demonstration mission is designed to be a pathfinder for a potential future science mission to show the capabilities and potential of HyTI,” said Wright. “As a CubeSat, HyTI is designed to work in constellations of 25–30 HyTIs during a larger science mission, which could then monitor volcanic gasses to predict eruptions or map soil moisture to aid crop management.”

HyTI will be delivered to NASA at the end of 2023, and will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket as part of the SpaceX SpX-30 mission in early 2024. Advanced on-board computing will enable scientists to quickly access and analyze extremely high volumes of data.

Developing world-class technologies

From predicting volcanic eruptions in orbit, to analyzing soil composition from space, to detecting extraterrestrial life and improving space mission integration, HIGP has become a major player in advancing space exploration.

Renowned for its expertise in Earth and planetary science, HIGP bridges science and engineering, replicating the successful science-technology synergy that national laboratories like NASA’s Jet-Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have created to pioneer aerospace research, analysis and cutting-edge technologies. Every year, HIGP brings in nearly $7 million for space-science initiatives through lucrative grants from agencies such as NASA, the Department of Defense and National Science Foundation—approximately half of which are dedicated to instrumentation development.

“Designing scientific measuring instruments is not necessarily difficult, but producing instruments that can take accurate measurements from a spacecraft, where size, weight, power and environment are an issue, is,” Wright said. “Our faculty, researchers and ߣsirÊÓƵ have become experts in miniaturizing some of the most innovative measurement tools. This allows us to be at the forefront of space exploration and competitive for greater opportunities where we can have a bigger impact.”

The centerpiece of HIGP’s space science initiatives is HSFL, a multidisciplinary research and education center formed in collaboration with ߣsirÊÓƵ ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s and the .

Established in 2007, HSFL’s reputation and resources skyrocketed after leading the state’s first and only rocket launch in 2015, which allowed it to design and build world-class facilities with state-of-the-art equipment including: clean rooms; thermal vacuum chamber; vibration table; and an attitude determination and control testbed simulator. These resources have helped HIGP design, build, test and operate world-class space instrumentation.

Since then, HIGP has developed a string of successful NASA-funded technology development projects in collaboration with its Spectral Technology Group and Infrared and Raman Spectroscopy Laboratory, including the Airborne Hyperspectral Imager, HyTI, Thermal Infrared Compact Imaging Spectrometer (TIRCIS), and the Miniature Infrared Detector for Atmospheric Sciences.

The compact spectroscopic technologies use interference phenomenon to measure long-wave infrared spectral radiance data (between 8–11 microns) to remotely identify and characterize the chemical composition of solids, gases and liquids. The key technology was developed by HIGP faculty member Paul Lucey, and is used under license by local technology company, Spectrum Photonics.

In addition to measurement tools, HSFL has developed a Comprehensive Open-architecture Solution for Mission Operations System (COSMOS) that provides integrated flight software, ground station and mission operations for small satellites. Funded by NASA’s Space Grant and Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, COSMOS proved its success on the NEUTRON-1 CubeSat and is now an integral part of all HSFL missions.

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