University of Michigan Space Institute – University of Michigan Space Institute

Michigan Aerospace Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Goddard’s Rocket Launch

Posted on March 20, 2026 (March 25, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

On March 16, 2026, the U-M Department of Aerospace Engineering community came together to celebrate a momentous occasion, honoring the legacy and impact of Dr. Robert Goddard and the 100th anniversary of the launch of the first-ever successful liquid-fuel rocket.

Chris Ruf Named to the National Academy of Engineering

Posted on February 10, 2026 (February 12, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

Congratulations to Director of the U-M Space Institute, Dr. Chris Ruf, for receiving the prestigious honor of being elected to the National Academy of Engineering! This year, the NAE elected 130 new members and 28 international members, as announced on February 10th.

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Features CYGNSS Mission Led by University of Michigan

Posted on January 21, 2026 (February 5, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

The CYGNSS Mission led at the University of Michigan will be exhibited in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in July. The museum will feature a replica of NASA’s CYGNSS mission in the “RTX Living in the Space Age Hall.” Named the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System, CYGNSS was developed at the University of Michigan’s Space Physics Research Laboratory (SPRL) and the Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering (CLASP).

Human Exploration of Mars: National Academies Give NASA Their Recommendations

Posted on December 10, 2025 (December 11, 2025) by U-M Space Institute

NASA hired the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine to identify the scientific community’s priority objectives for human study and exploration of Mars, as well as the types of measurements, samples and studies needed to complete the objectives. The Academies delivered their report to NASA in December.

Zurbuchen, Formerly of U-M, NASA, Honored by Center for Entrepreneurship

Posted on December 5, 2025 (December 11, 2025) by U-M Space Institute

The University of Michigan’s Center for Entrepreneurship (CFE) honored co-founder Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, with the presentation of a new award bearing his name, as well as the renaming of the center’s long-running Friday speaker series he launched, EHour.

Launching the World’s Largest Space Telescope

Posted on November 12, 2025 (February 5, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

The James Webb Space Telescope is safe from the sun’s light and heat thanks, in part, to Robby Swoish. The largest and most powerful telescope ever launched into space, Webb is designed to study galaxies so far away that their light takes 13.5 billion years to reach us. That ancient light gives us a view of our universe that dates back to the origins of the very first stars.

We Need a Solar Sail Probe to Detect Space Tornadoes Earlier, More Accurately, U-M Researchers Say

Posted on October 6, 2025 (February 5, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

Spirals of solar wind can spin off larger solar eruptions and disrupt Earth’s magnetic field, yet they are too difficult to detect with our current single-location warning system, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. But a constellation of spacecraft, including one that sails on sunlight, could help find the tornado-like features in time to protect equipment on Earth and in orbit.

Frontier No More? Michigan Engineers Work on Solutions for Space Debris

Posted on October 6, 2025 (February 5, 2026) by U-M Space Institute

Researchers at U-M and elsewhere are working to keep space safe for future generations. They’re developing solutions that could enable tracking of microscopic fragments and designing forecasting tools that could more accurately track active satellites during space weather events.

B-SPICE Raises TRL of the Spacecraft-Charging Mitigation Scheme, Operating in a Space Environment

Posted on August 28, 2025 (December 11, 2025) by U-M Space Institute

Omar León, an Assistant Research Scientist at the U-M Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, talks more about the launch of the B-SPICE mission from White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico on November 23, 2024.

The People Behind SPAR: Tate Gill

Posted on July 21, 2025 (December 11, 2025) by U-M Space Institute

Tate Gill, an assistant research scientist within the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL), has taken on the technical leadership role as head of the institute’s propulsion division. Since receiving a $35 million award from the USSF University Consortium in late 2024, the University of Michigan has continued to lead one of the nation’s largest efforts to advance space power and propulsion through Space Power and Propulsion for Agility, Responsiveness and Resilience (SPAR) Institute.