UCF, U.S. Air Force Partner on Center of Excellence to Advance Hypersonics, Space Propulsion

Anew UCF center of excellence will aim to advance the technology that fuels hypersonic travel — at speeds up to 13,000 miles per hour — to help enhance national defense and open up new frontiers in space exploration.

UCF launched the Center of Excellence in Hypersonic and Space Propulsion — HyperSpace Center for short — on Wednesday alongside leaders of the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, one of the university’s main partners in hypersonic research.

The HyperSpace Center will advance the research and innovations of world-renowned faculty members like Kareem Ahmed, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, whose team has received multiple U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) grants to develop hypersonic technology.

“What we create here and across UCF will define the aerospace and defense industries for generations.” — Alexander N. Cartwright, UCF president

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and Col. Janelle T.H. Jackson, deputy director of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and detachment 14 commander, spoke at the launch ceremony at the new center in the Central Florida Research Park adjacent to the UCF main campus. They were joined by U.S. Reps. Darren Soto and Daniel Webster and State Rep. Susan Plasencia.

“What we create here and across UCF will define the aerospace and defense industries for generations,” Cartwright says. “UCF has always been an institution for people who have dared to invent a better future. We are also an institution that recognizes no one builds the future alone.

It takes strong partnerships, shared vision, and a relentless commitment to be bold together. UCF and the Air Force have an incredible history of collaboration, and I am excited about our dedication to continuing to build, innovate, and lead together.”

Col. Jackson celebrated the significance of the HyperSpace Center bringing together the DoD, UCF as a minority-serving institution and cutting-edge technology.

Read More.