Hoeven: North Dakota Leading the Way in Space And Aeronautics

Senator Address ND Space Grant Consortium, Outlines New Space Operations Center Proposed for GFAFB, Drone & Counter-Drone, Hypersonic Initiatives
BISMARCK, N.D. – At the Space Grant Consortium’s affiliates meeting today, Senator John Hoeven outlined North Dakota’s growing leadership in space and aeronautics. In particular, the senator discussed how the state is leveraging its expertise in these areas to play an expanding role in the future of the nation’s defense, including through:
U.S. Space Force operations, including the new $250 million Space Operations Center that was proposed for the Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB).
Hoeven spoke with Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman earlier this week to discuss the proposal and outline the new infrastructure, capabilities and personnel it will bring to Grand Forks. This includes:
A more than 180,000 square foot center fully equipped as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF).
Highly-classified operations supporting both Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office missions covering missile warning, missile tracking and the space data network.
More than 100 personnel across two to three fully manned squadrons.
The proposal builds upon the low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite mission that Hoeven worked to
fund and establish
at GFAFB, which will serve as the backbone of all U.S. military communications.
Drone and counter-drone research, testing and operations.
Hoeven recently marked the formal beginning of GFAFB’s
Point Defense Battle Lab
, which Hoeven worked to bring to the base to test and validate advanced technologies to defend installations from small, unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) threats.
The lab builds on a range of initiatives Hoeven has been working to advance in North Dakota, including:
Hoeven’s Project ULTRA, which is working to quickly develop cost-effective measures to detect and neutralize threats from unmanned aircraft.
The
Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event
being held at Camp Grafton in August.
Hypersonic missile testing under the SkyRange program at GrandSKY.
“The future security of our nation depends on having a new generation of professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to develop the technologies that will give us the edge in space, drones and hypersonic missiles. We are doing that work right here in North Dakota, and the proposal to bring a $250 million Space Operations Center to Grand Forks is the latest testament to the effectiveness of the high-tech ecosystem that we’ve worked to build,” said Hoeven. “Our research institutions, like UND, have been central to these efforts, with programs like the Space Grant creating opportunities for students to gain the firsthand experience that will enable them to pursue careers in these high-tech fields.”
Hoeven recognized programs like the Space Grant, which provides scholarships and fellowship opportunities for faculty and students to pursue space and aeronautics research and education, for helping to position North Dakota to secure new opportunities in these areas. The senator stressed that such STEM-focused programs have been an important aspect of building the region’s high-tech ecosystem and are an essential part of Hoeven’s efforts to create partnerships between research universities like the University of North Dakota, private industry, institutions like GrandSKY and the military.
Accordingly, Hoeven works as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure strong support for programs like the Space Grant in annual funding legislation. North Dakota receives nearly $1 million through the program annually which enables students and faculty to participate in NASA internships, research fellowships and STEM competitions. Through the Space Grant program, 11 North Dakota students were able to intern at NASA’s various research centers and laboratories across the country last year.
-###-