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In Huntsville, AUARI leaders Jonathan Pettus and Melanie Baker join SDA‑South site director Burke Hare (center) in advancing Auburn’s role in mission‑critical space operations by uniting academic insight with real‑world defense challenges.

There's a new development in Auburn’s growing relationship with the Space Development Agency (SDA).

The university recently entered into an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the agency, a move designed to accelerate innovation in space technologies while cultivating the next generation of defense-focused engineering talent.

The partnership will be facilitated through the Auburn University Applied Research Institute (AUARI), located at the university’s Research and Innovation Campus in Huntsville, a base of technical support operations for the SDA since 2024.

The EPA will provide Auburn students and faculty with unprecedented access to SDA expertise and equipment. By bridging the gap between classroom theory and mission-critical application, the agreement will ensure that Auburn graduates are uniquely prepared to enter the aerospace and defense workforce.

a rendering of the new space development agency

A rendering of the new SDA Laboratory that will be located in the Auburn University Applied Research Institute.

"We're excited to further align our academic resources with the SDA’s mission," said Steve Taylor, senior vice president for research and economic development. "This is exactly the sort of collaboration the Research and Innovation Campus was meant to foster. It will strengthen the State of Alabama's already heavy investments in the space economy, and we're proud to play a leading role in that."

The agreement will embed the university directly into the SDA’s technical ecosystem by involving faculty and students in high-level lab research, providing students with both academic credit and professional mentorship for their contributions to mission-critical projects such as satellite operations, low-Earth orbit constellation management and anomaly resolution.

“The educational partnership between the Space Development Agency and Auburn University represents two forward-leaning and innovative organizations coming together to solve current challenges and prepare for the complexity of the space domain and war fighting, both now and into the future,” said GP Sandhoo, SDA acting director. “Through focused research topics provided by SDA, students will gain greater knowledge about satellite operations, low-Earth orbit constellation management, and anomaly resolution. This collaboration is an investment in our nation's future space leadership and workforce, producing graduates ready to operate complex satellite architectures in support of U.S. Space Force missions, which are vital to our national security.”

AUARI Director Jonathan Pettus agrees.

"Extending our partnership with the SDA along these lines gives our researchers a seat at the table in defining the future of space defense,” Pettus said. “That’s exactly why this institute was established."