UT Austin Celebrates Space Achievements During World Space Week

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas at Austin is a leader in space research, contributing significantly to the future of space exploration. In honor of World Space Week, UT highlights some of its innovative projects and recent achievements.

This year, engineers at UT’s Cockrell School of Engineering partnered with Rhodium Scientific, the first U.S. space biotechnology company, to send samples of bacteria and yeast to the International Space Station. The microbes will be exposed to intense radiation for eight months. If they survive, they could be used to produce food, fuel, and medicines in space, which is vital as NASA plans for crewed missions to Mars.

Last year, UT engineers helped a U.S. spacecraft land on the moon for the first time in fifty years. Aerospace professor Maruthi Akella led the development of a groundbreaking guidance algorithm for Intuitive Machines’ lander, which successfully touched down near the moon’s south pole, an area known for its difficult terrain. Akella’s achievements earned him an asteroid named after him, Maruthiakella. Romy Hanna, also from UT, was honored for her work with NASA’s mission to return samples from the asteroid Bennu.

UT researchers are also advancing satellite technology. A new project uses machine learning to enhance spacecraft navigation and landing accuracy. Students designed affordable miniature satellites backed by a $1.9 million NASA partnership for future lunar and Martian missions. Furthermore, associate professor Jingyi “Ann” Chen launched a satellite in July that detects tiny shifts in the Earth’s surface, aiding environmental monitoring efforts.

Assistant professor Thomas Underwood is developing technology allowing satellites to self-propel and refuel in low Earth orbit using atmospheric resources. He’s also creating a new heat shield designed to maintain communication during space missions. This addresses a common issue that has hindered many missions.

Since the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in December 2021, UT astronomers have made significant discoveries. Notably, they identified one of the universe’s earliest galaxies, and astronomy professor Steven Finkelstein named another galaxy after his daughter. Ongoing studies include a star-forming region in Ursa Major and details of planetary nebulae.

Additionally, Moriba Jah, an aerospace engineering professor, leads initiatives for space debris cleanup, promoting reusable satellite technology and collision prediction systems. He recently gained recognition for his contributions to overcoming the growing issue of space debris.

UT ingenuity extends to the Europa Clipper mission, which carries ice-penetrating radar technology developed at UTIG to explore Jupiter’s moon Europa. This research aims to uncover potential life-sustaining conditions beneath its thick ice.

Finally, doctoral graduates Mohammad Afzal Shadab and Eric Hiatt proposed a model explaining how water may have been retained underground on Mars. Their findings suggest that this hidden reservoir could play a crucial role in future exploration efforts.