USSF accepting proposals for third research opportunity under the USSF University Consortium Published Jan. 3, 2024 Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) -- In partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, the United States Space Force is currently accepting proposals for USSF University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3, focused on Advanced Space Power and Propulsion (ASPP). The USSF posted a Request for Information (RFI) Dec. 21, 2023 inviting universities and their partners to submit white papers for collaborative research projects by Feb. 2, 2024, 12:00 Mountain Daylight Saving Time (MDT). This SSTI effort, which is the third in a series of research opportunities under the USSF University Consortium, will facilitate ASPP research, enabling game-changing improvements in agility, resilience, affordability and performance for Department of Defense spacecraft. The research opportunity will involve a minimum of three universities, with one taking the lead in research efforts. The lead university will be responsible for partnering with team member institutions and coordinating ASPP research subtopics. Universities are encouraged to collaborate with industry on space research, development and demonstration needs. Proposal topics for SSTI 3 may include technologies listed in the RFI or additional technologies that increase the maturity and market readiness of DoD-relevant technologies. The USSF previously awarded $6.4 million under SSTI 1 to address challenges related to space object tracking beyond geostationary orbit and is in the process of competing SSTI 2 to examine the areas of space access, mobility and logistics research. A link to the RFI solicitation is available here. About Space Strategic Technology Institutes (SSTI) The United States Space Force is establishing Space Strategic Technology Institutes (SSTIs) to address space, science and technology (S&T) challenges through a network of partnered universities. Space Force envisions the institutes will facilitate and focus joint applied research on transformational space domain technology breakthroughs and developments that lead to the advancement of capabilities that can be transitioned and integrated into current and future USSF and U.S. government space capabilities. It is highly desired for the research to lead to testbeds, high fidelity modeling and simulations, demonstrations and prototypes. The research is expected to transition technology to higher technology readiness levels throughout the period of performance, and out years will be awarded based on an evaluation of this ability.