SPECIALIZED LABS & HANDS-ON LEARNING
STUDENTS AT THE CENTER OF SPACEFLIGHT Satellite Mission Control Center All operational satellites currently orbiting Earth — nearly 5,000 of them — are being watched by someone in a mission control center somewhere. It is increasingly specialized work, especially as the industry continues to grow. The high level of demand for space professionals who can navigate celestial real estate prompted the opening of the new Mission Control Center at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach Campus, and this leading-edge lab arms students with the skills to enter exciting careers in the booming space industry.
“Space Operations is one of the few degree programs providing students with hands-on experience in mission control, making our graduates exceptionally prepared for positions at control centers.” Dr. Tom Guinn Chair of the Applied Aviation Sciences Department Embry-Riddle’s new mission control center features state-of-the-art equipment that allows students to stage real-life scenarios. “The lab gives us the ability to simulate and train students on the operations in a typical mission control center, where satellites are tracked and monitored and any anomalies are resolved,” Dr. Guinn said. “In the past, we simulated sending commands to satellites and then simulated the response. Now that the new control center is equipped with classroom CubeSats, students will be able to physically see the satellite’s response to those various commands.”
Traditional satellites and the much smaller “CubeSats” are being launched into space for various reasons — collecting research data, improving communication systems and establishing new broadband internet networks. Specialists working in satellite mission control centers must track these objects to deploy new hardware successfully. “Students working in the lab will generally be taking our Mission Control capstone course, which brings several aspects of space operations into play — such as policy, orbital mechanics and payload management,” Dr. Guinn added. “These students will be very well equipped to enter the workforce with a variety of space companies.”
A SKYROCKETING DEMAND FOR SPACE
In 2023, for the second straight year, new records were set for the most orbital launch attempts and the most successful orbital launches, with 223 total successful launches recorded. The current pace of launches has 2024 on track to again be the busiest year ever, with nearly 260 launches predicted by the end of the year.
11 | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
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