University Nanosatellite Program: Educating Space Engineers for a Generation and Looking Towards the Future

The University Nanosatellite Program (UNP) was founded in 1999 as the first government funded program to mentor university students in the design, integration, and operations of small satellites. This program provides a platform for university programs to develop DoD-relevant small satellite technologies while training the next generation in the principles and practices of systems engineering. UNP has assisted in the development of over 100 missions from 46 universities across the country and has over 8,000 alumni.This paper presents several aspects of UNP: the history, the current efforts, some historical outcomes and impacts, and potential changes to the program to better enable its mission. First, a brief highlight of the program’s history over the last 25 years is given. This includes a discussion of the current efforts: Nanosatellite (a two-year competition cycle among 10 schools), Mission Concept (maturing a mission concept for universities over a summer), and Technical Insertion (creation of a specific mission for AFRL) cycles. Then, student and faculty demographics, student outcomes and impacts, and program partnerships are discussed. Next, a discussion is included on changes being considered for the program to better enable education. Specifically, a faster cadence for requests for proposals from universities and altered selectee funding cadence is proposed. These changes are being discussed with the intent to enable faster mission maturation and guide more schools to the launch pad. Finally, ideas for the continuation of mentoring students in small satellite systems engineering are presented for both engaging with UNP and broader educational opportunities.