MSU receives nearly $10 Million for space network expansion
Some of the most notable names in the aerospace industry continue to use the faculty, students and resources at Morehead State's Space Science Center for missions. Now, U.S. government is investing to expand its capabilities.
During a ceremony at the Space Science Center on Thursday, Oct. 17, U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05) announced a federal earmark totaling nearly $10 million in Community Project Funding to broaden the region's highly competitive deep space network. The funding will enhance MSU's two space tracking stations to support future government-funded and commercial space programs.
"The staff and students at Morehead State are now involved in some of the United States' most innovative and historic space missions. This project will allow the space science center to support future NASA programs, including NASA's Near Space Network, Artemis and the Moon to Mars Program," said Congressman Rogers, the chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds science-related federal agencies. "This means that students here at MSU will have first-hand access to more lunar and deep space tracking services that they cannot get anywhere else in the country."
Congressman Rogers also requested another $7.5 million earmark for fiscal year 2025 so that MSU's Space Science Center can provide payload operations for government and commercial space stations. The House Appropriations Committee approved the funding request, pending ongoing budget negotiations.
MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan said Congressman Rogers has been instrumental in obtaining federal funding for Morehead State, and this marks another milestone in the University's trajectory.
"It's always a joy working with the Congressman because when you ask him for money, he just smiles and he says, 'let me see if I can help.' You won't hear from him for about six months and then, poof, the check shows up," Morgan said. "This funding will allow us to expand our capabilities, provide our students with unmatched hands-on experiences, and contribute to the growing space economy in our region and in Kentucky."
"This funding is a game-changer for Morehead State's Space Science Program. It enables us to further enhance our research and technological capabilities, allowing our students and faculty to participate in groundbreaking projects that contribute directly to the future of space exploration," said Dr. Ben Malphrus, executive director of the MSU Space Science Center.
To highlight the importance of this investment, Congressman Rogers recognized the staff and students who saved the latest U.S. mission to the moon after a troubled landing damaged the Odysseus Lander (a.k.a. "Odie") by submitting a tribute in the Congressional Record commemorating the team that NASA administrator Bill Nelson dubbed the "saviors" of the nation's first lunar landing mission since the Apollo era. It is one of many reasons Congressman Rogers stated that Morehead State has become "a household name within NASA" and why it considers MSU students among its highest recruits.
"Morehead State was the only conduit between NASA and the private company that sent the lunar lander to the moon to conduct research. The multi-million-dollar mission was in jeopardy of failure, but it was the staff and students here in our Appalachian Mountains who worked around the clock for 72 hours to save that historic mission," Rogers said.
The Congressional Record, which is held in the Library of Congress, recognizes the work of MSU staff members Ryan Collins (grounds station engineer/operator), Diddy Didier (Class of 2023, grounds station engineer/operator), Nathan Fite (Class of 2011, instructor), ground station engineer/operator), Seifalla Moustafa (space systems engineer – software), Christopher Smith (grounds station engineer/operator), and Emily Walter (Class of 2020, 2022, instructor and RF engineer). MSU students recognized include Carrie Bruce, a junior space systems engineering student from Lancaster, Noah Patrick (Class of 2023), a graduate assistant from Frenchburg, and Mila Shearer, a junior space systems engineering student from Hebron.
Learn about Space Systems Engineering at MSU by contacting Dr. Malphrus at b.malphrus@moreheadstate.edu or calling 606-783-2212.
Find information on other programs in MSU's Department of Engineering Sciences by emailing Interim Chair Dr. Nilesh Joshi at n.joshi@moreheadstate.edu or by calling 606-783-2417.
Photo, left to right: Staff Assistant Cindy Thompson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Space Systems Engineering and Star Theater Director Dr. Pamela Clark, Chloe Hart Groves, Ryan Collins, Congressman Hal Rogers, MSU President Dr. Jay Morgan, Carrie Bruce, Diddy Didier, and Noah Patrick.
