By Lily Lewis, Originally published by Michigan Aerospace
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. The institute has already brought in top individuals from industry, government and academia from around the country to develop spacecraft that can “maneuver without regret.” One of those people is Tate Gill, an assistant research scientist within the Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory (PEPL), who has taken on the technical leadership role as head of the institute’s propulsion division.