Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University joined NASA’s Kennedy Space Center director and other charter members in the Florida University Space Research Consortium to sign a memorandum of understanding in research and development to assist with missions and contribute to NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.

Officials from the consortium — designated in 2024 as the state’s official space research entity — NASA leaders and guests participated in the Jan. 8 signing ceremony held at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As the future of research and technology at Kennedy expands, the agreement marked a critical milestone in a partnership to advance research, technology development, education and communication between the spaceport and the state’s growing space industry.

The signing included Embry‑Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D.; Dr. Alexander Cartwright, president of the University of Central Florida; and Dr. Kent Fuchs, interim president of the University of Florida. They were joined by Governor Ron Desantis, Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez and other members of the Florida state legislature, who stand as staunch supporters of the state’s commitment to education, research, workforce development and the burgeoning space industry.

“The formalization of the Florida University Space Research Consortium, in partnership with NASA Kennedy Space Center, will ensure Florida remains unmatched in space-related research, educational opportunities and workforce development,” Butler said. “We’re excited to work with our partners at the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida to begin this new chapter in space research and exploration in partnership with Kennedy Space Center to enhance the state’s aerospace industry and are grateful for the unwavering support of Governor DeSantis and Lieutenant Governor Nuñez.”

“Through this agreement, NASA will benefit in new and exciting ways from our longtime partnership with the universities that make Florida shine,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As we move deeper into this golden era of space exploration, a new generation of thinkers and leaders will lead the way — thinkers and leaders like the researchers, faculty and students of the Artemis Generation, whom we are pleased to work with through the consortium.”

The creation of the consortium was the result of more than a year of effort by leaders at Kennedy, the University of Florida, the University of Central Florida and Embry‑Riddle. The agreement highlights the partnership and serves as the official start to partnering activities, with Florida now the only state with a university consortium affiliated with one of NASA’s centers.

“It was great to visit the Space Coast Jan. 8 to announce the Florida University Space Research Consortium — our state’s official space research entity,” said Governor DeSantis. “Home to a thriving aerospace industry and world-class higher education institutions, Florida is the ideal place to launch this initiative. We are primed to lead the nation in developing a blueprint for state-space partnerships into the future.”

The mission of the consortium is to foster a symbiotic relationship between Kennedy and Florida’s universities to drive innovation in space exploration, research and technology through academic collaboration, joint projects and workforce development.

“The launch of the Florida University Space Research Consortium is a significant milestone for our state’s aerospace sector, bringing together our world-class education system with cutting-edge research and development,” said Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez. “This consortium will undoubtedly further strengthen and deepen Florida’s position as the leader in the global aerospace economy.”

The memorandum of understanding marks the dawn of a new era of cooperation between the Florida spaceport and the state’s university system, starting with the three charter universities, with plans to expand to other state universities interested in participating. The push to enhance research and technological collaboration with universities has been a priority at NASA for years and has seen success at other NASA centers across the country.

While Kennedy becomes the first NASA center affiliated with a university consortium, recently NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley partnered with the University of California, Berkeley, on development of the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park, located at Ames. Still in development, the project is envisioned as a 36-acre discovery and innovation hub to include educational spaces, labs, offices, student housing and a new conference center. More recently, NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston teamed up with Texas A&M University to break ground on a building that will become a testing laboratory for apparatuses in development for NASA’s Moon to Mars plans. In attendance for the groundbreaking was Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro, who was one of the signatories on the agreement.

“This agreement is a shining example of what it looks like when we link arms and create a space for the whole to be greater than all our parts,” Petro said. “This symbiotic partnership makes way for collaborative research opportunities and increased exposure to advanced technology, significantly enhancing NASA’s research output in fields such as aerospace engineering, materials science, robotics and environmental science, all of which are necessary for long-term human exploration as we learn to live and work deeper into space than ever before.”