A nonprofit working to develop the space workforce pipeline in Texas has awarded its first two grants to rocket teams at Rice University and Texas A&M, the cofounders of the group told Payload.
SWIFTies: The Space Workforce Incubator for Texas, or SWIFT, which launched in September, is intended to connect technical schools, four-year universities, and space professionals for mentorship to ensure students graduate with real-world experience in the space sector that allows them to hit the ground running in the industry.
Why launch? The grant awards are part of SWIFT’s Rocket Program. One reason to focus on launch is having hands-on practice with the technical skills of welding a rocket boosts hirability, according to Leon Vanstone, cofounder of SWIFT and former founder of the Texas Rocket Engineering Lab at UT Austin.
Apart from that, the skills required to build a rocket, from cryogenic valve work to welding, are also applicable to other sectors of the space community, including propulsion, space stations, and space suits, Geoff Tudor, cofounder of the incubator and former legislative director to Rep. Lamar Smith, said.
Tudor and Vanstone declined to share the value of the grants, but said it would be “substantial” for the rocket teams, some of whom are running up credit card debt to buy parts for their vehicles.
Building the web: The incubator’s broader goal is to break down silos between different academic institutions, Vanstone said, to connect students who want to design rockets, technical students who want to build them, and those already working in the space industry to provide mentorship and guidance.
SWIFT is also raising money to build a rocket engine test facility to be shared by university and high school students, Tudor said.
What’s next: SWIFT intends to launch its SWIFT Connect portal over the next few months to make building those connections easier.
“We want to build that fabric to bring it together,” Tudor said. “We invite anybody—students, universities, or industry officials that see themselves as a stakeholder in making Texas a leader in space—[to] come to swiftrocket.org and join the group.”
