The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration Becomes Space Dynamics Laboratory’s DoD UARC Sponsor

The Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration (SAF/SQ) has officially become the new sponsor for Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) in its role as a Department of Defense (DoD) University Affiliated Research Center (UARC).

In 1996, the DoD formed UARCs to formalize long-term, strategic relationships with university-affiliated non-profit research organizations to maintain and advance specific areas of engineering, research, and development. Each UARC operates under the guidance of a primary sponsor and maintains a specific set of core competencies, which are specialized areas of expertise critical to advancing DoD technology needs.

"SDL’s long-standing commitment to advance technologies for national defense reflects a deep alignment with SDL’s core competencies and the space mission of the Department of the Air Force," said Dr. Jed Hancock, president of SDL. "We look forward to continuing our close partnership with the Department of Defense delivering trusted research and technologies that secure our nation’s interests."

Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories (AFCRL), a predecessor of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), awarded SDL its first contract in 1959. This marked the beginning of SDL’s long history in space and defense research. SDL was designated as one of the original six UARCs and was sponsored by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) for nearly 30 years.

SDL is continuing its role as a trusted UARC partner sponsored by the Space Force collaborating throughout the DoD enterprise. SDL’s research areas include advanced sensing and systems; autonomous systems and intelligent control; space mission design and operations; integrated command, control, and data systems; modeling, simulation, and phenomenology; and cyber and networked systems.

SDL is headquartered on Utah State University’s Innovation Campus in North Logan, UT. SDL has field offices in Albuquerque, NM; Chantilly, VA; Huntsville, AL; Ogden, UT; and Stafford, VA. For more information, visit www.sdl.usu.edu.