A partnership between the University of Texas at El Paso and aerospace company, Astroscale U.S., promises to bolster research opportunities for generations of students.
The Denver-based company provides on-orbit servicing for satellites in Earth’s orbit by removing debris of dead satellites, refueling satellites to extend their life and repairing devices while still in orbit. With the help of UTEP and its replenishing crop of aerospace research and manufacturing students, future jobs in the industry will stay local.
“El Paso is now the fifth largest manufacturing region in all of North America,” UTEP president Heather Wilson said. “One of the most interesting aspects in which we can work together is to refuel satellites while still in orbit and Astroscale U.S. is a leader in that area. Every pound you put into orbit is very expensive. If you’re on orbit, you have a very limited amount of fuel as well.”
Getting UTEP students hands-on experience in manufacturing parts for the company’s satellites, like Lexi and Provisioner, is a starting point, but research into orbit and mission-critical aspects is also possible. UTEP has invested heavily in its Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering curriculum, as well as opening an $80 million Advanced Manufacturing and Aerospace Center on campus.
Currently, the company’s top satellites include Lexi, which works with payload performance by stabilizing and reducing orbital inclination. It can also remove space debris once the life of a given satellite is reached. Provisioner works as a refueler for on orbit satellites, with it ready to be in service in 2026.
The two satellites are currently being constructed at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.
Wilson noted the company was awarded a $25.5 million contract by the U.S. Space Force to demonstrate on-orbit satellite refueling.
“Space isn’t some far frontier, it’s part of our daily lives,” Astroscale U.S. president and managing director Ron Lopez said. “We have GPS, weather services and ubiquitous communication platforms and we just saw the Artemis launch. We need to be good stewards of the space environment with growth and sustainability. That’s the challenge we’re trying to solve.”
“In 2019, I started this company from scratch and seven years later, we have over 100 employees in the U.S. and we’re thriving. We want to serve satellite (technology) and our national and security customers,” Lopez said.
Aerospace partnerships ‘is a great asset’ at UTEP
Sebastian Delgado, an undergraduate student in the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering department, is eager to work on projects with Astroscale U.S.
After graduating from UTEP with a marketing degree, he decided to return for another in engineering once the university expanded into aerospace.
“It’s a great asset to have this and to interact with those in the aerospace industry,” Delgado said. “I’m working at the Aerospace fabrication center on campus. In the four months I’ve been there, I’ve worked with materials that I had never seen before and that are actually used in space.”
Networking with industry professionals is invaluable to students, but it is even more so for Delgado who is starting his own manufacturing company in the very near future.
“I already had some background in the manufacturing industry in Juárez, so coming back to UTEP was guided by the fact I would be making parts for the aerospace industry,” Delgado said. “Interacting with these new materials and different students doing research has helped me a great deal.”
El Paso, UTEP as aerospace hub for generations
El Paso mayor Renard Johnson noted such aerospace partnerships are key to not only research, but the economic viability of the city.
“We use space as part of our national systems, economy and our national security,” Johnson said. “Like Astroscale U.S., many companies are realizing El Paso is uniquely positioned at the intersection of defense, advanced manufacturing and global trade.”
As a region, Johnson contended that the goal is to become the “premier aerospace and defense corridor in the southwest,” he said.
He highlighted the role UTEP and aerospace companies play in creating that reality starts with planning for workforce development.
“Today is more than welcoming a company, it’s about where we’re going as a community and a future where El Paso isn’t just keeping up, but leading,” Johnson said.
Kristian Jaime is the Top Story Reporter for the El Paso Times and is reachable at Kjaime@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP, Astroscale partnership backs student research opportunities
Reporting by Kristian Jaime, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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