UF's Astraeus Space Institute Propels Space Research Forward

The University of Florida is expanding the frontiers of space research through interdisciplinary collaboration. With the launch of the Astraeus Space Institute, UF is uniting scientists, engineers, ethicists and scholars across 16 colleges to tackle the challenges of deep space exploration.

Funded by a $2.5 million strategic initiative, Astraeus connects UF researchers with partners like NASA, Space Florida, the U.S. Space Force and the International Space Station National Laboratory. Together they're exploring everything from lunar agriculture and life sciences to the ethics and culture of space travel.

Among them is UF's Rob Ferl, the first NASA-funded university researcher to conduct experiments aboard a commercial spaceflight, paving the way for future researcher-led missions beyond Earth.

The institute also provides seed funding to faculty projects and is building new pathways for collaboration across government, industry and academia, positioning UF as a national leader in space innovation.

Through Astraeus, UF is building a launchpad not just for missions but for the next generation of discovery.

Notable Space Research

UF's Astraeus Space Institute will create new opportunities for space research and collaboration as well as provide opportunities to researchers who have already been involved in these types of projects. Those researchers include faculty members like Christopher Petersen, Ph.D., who is partnering with colleague Tori Miller, Ph.D. to spearhead space exploration technologies.

Petersen is currently testing autonomy for robotic arms mounted on satellite buses, while Miller is developing small, repeatable units that can be assembled into a large, sturdy truss capable of supporting massive solar arrays for next-generation space stations. The hope is that one day Petersen's robotic arms will be used to build Miller's solar panels in orbit.

In 2022, Ferl and his colleague Anna-Lisa Paul, who is a research professor in horticultural studies at UF/IFAS, made international news when they successfully grew plants in soil collected from the moon. Their research is ongoing.

"For future, longer space missions, we may use the moon as a hub or launching pad. It makes sense that we would want to use the soil that's already there to grow plants," Ferl said.