Central ND News

During a meeting with University of North Dakota (UND) faculty on Thursday, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and the team from Space Development Agency (SDA) highlighted SDA’s latest investments in Grand Forks. UND is an innovation hub and essential piece of the defense ecosystem in the Grand Forks community and North Dakota.

Cramer and SDA’s meeting with school faculty centered on workforce development and the educational initiatives Cramer announced earlier this week. E-Space founder, CEO, and Chief Architect Greg Wyler accompanied Cramer to hear how SDA and UND’s efforts can help space and satellite companies like his.

These initiatives include an Educational Partnership Agreement between SDA and UND to permit SDA to loan defense laboratory equipment, transfer surplus computers and equipment, allow SDA personnel to teach science courses, provide sabbatical opportunities for faculty and internship opportunities for students, and involve faculty and students in projects.

SDA will build a student training center, which will be a digital twin of the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB) Operations Center North to allow for space and satellite constellation operations training and a test site for improvements to the center. SDA will also work with UND’s Small Business Accelerator to boost efforts related to developing, populating, and operating low earth orbit satellite constellations.

Cramer also announced a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract award to E-Space. The contract will build and deploy six satellites for a Low Earth Orbit Narrowband Communications System.

“All I saw and learned about this week are amazing, but not surprising because I’ve seen Grand Forks grow, attract talent, and thrive even when some in DoD wanted it to wither,” said Cramer. “I’m going to keep bringing game changers and innovators like Derek Tournear, Greg Wyler, and Palmer Luckey here much like I did when I introduced Linden Blue from General Atomics to Grand Forks to show them how we can make their vision better. I’m going to keep our GFAFB missions funded and growing. And I’m going to keep our airmen and their accomplishments recognized at the highest levels of government. With all Grand Forks has to offer there will be many more switches to flip on in the near future.”

On Wednesday, Cramer flipped the switch on the new Operations and Networking Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base attended Grand Forks Mayor Brandon Bochenski’s Base Retention Committee meeting.