This document discusses opportunities for the University of North Carolina system to fill research gaps in the commercial space industry and support the formation of spin-off companies. It identifies several sectors within the new commercial "NewSpace" industry, including suborbital spaceflight. It then outlines potential research areas and curriculum where UNC could contribute, such as in vehicle propulsion, avionics, and small satellite development. The document advocates for establishing a North Carolina NewSpace initiative at UNC to help inventory relevant industry clusters, identify stakeholders, and develop a roadmap to gain state support. The goal would be to leverage UNC's resources and expertise to participate in this growing industry.

1. Gaps in the NewSpace Industry:
- Can UNC Fill Them?
- Opportunities for Spin-out Companies?
919-338-0936
© Jeff Krukin jakrukin@exodus-consulting.com
© Exodus Consulting Group www.exodus-consulting.com
UNC Economic Transformation Council
April 16, 2014

2. Agenda
Emphasize research gaps in the NewSpace industry that can be
filled by the UNC system and lead to spin-out companies
1. NewSpace = Commercial/Entrepreneurial Space Industry:
• Sectors and Companies
• Suborbital Spaceflight (or is it aviation?)
2. NewSpace Industry Gaps
3. NewSpace at UNC: Past and Future
4. Closing Slide and Question

3. NewSpace Industry Sectors
1. Atmospheric Flight
• Generation Orbit Launch Services, Inc. • Zero G Corp.
• World View Enterprises, Inc.
2. Suborbital Flight‫‏‬
• Virgin Galactic • Masten Space Systems
• XCOR Aerospace • Blue Origin, LLC
3. Orbital Transportation
• Sierra Nevada Corp. • Orbital Sciences Corp
• Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX)
4. Orbital Platforms and Research
• Bigelow Aerospace • Zero Gravity Solutions, Inc.
5. Services and Support
• Orbital Outfitters • NASTAR
• Made in Space • Astronauts4Hire

4. NewSpace Industry Sectors (Cont.)
6. Commercial Spaceports
Global TransPark, other NC sites?

5. Suborbital Spaceflight (or is it aviation?)
• Mark I: 60km altitude
• Mark II: 100km altitude
• Mark III: adds external dorsal pod
• US HQ: Mojave, CA
• R&D Center: Midland, TX
• Lost NC opportunity!

6. XCOR Aerospace Lynx® Mark I
• Sold tooling to The Spaceship
Company
• Manufactured Lynx fuselage
for XCOR
• Fuselage
• LOX Tank
• Cockpit

7. NewSpace Industry Gaps
Center of Excellent for Commercial Space Transportation
Research Tasks:

8. NewSpace Industry Gaps (Cont.)
Curriculum Proposal:
“Research Assistant Training for Sub-Orbital Spaceflight
Certification (RATSSC): A Mission for Community Colleges”
George Bunk, Jr., Adjunct Professor
Science, Math and Technology Department
Burlington Community College, Pemberton, NJ
What would this mean for STEM education and workforce
development?
UNC – Community College System Partnership?

9. Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles as Research Platforms:
“… since the new suborbital vehicles are designed for Jim and Jane Tourist and
Family, they will provide suitably benign vibration and acceleration
environments.
In other words, the vehicles will be useful not only for space life sciences
research, but also as platforms for other scientific and technology development
research that can benefit from these benign conditions.
This might include nanotech and materials investigations, atmospheric and
astronomical observations, and risk reduction trials for orbital payloads.”
NewSpace Industry Gaps (Cont.)

10. NewSpace Business Plan Competition = Gap Indicator
Categories
Entrepreneurial space: firms directly involved in launch systems hardware technology
and supporting infrastructure, including data acquisition, communications, exotic fuels,
space suits, flight safety, etc.
Space-related: process engineering, power systems, bioregenerative systems, tourism,
media, software, and other supportive solutions.
Space-scalable®: technologies primarily developed to solve problems here on Earth, but are
also scalable to solve key long-range space problems when the demand ultimately exists.
This could include biotechnology, nanotechnology, medicine, radiation mitigation, smart
materials, alternative energy, or next-gen IT hardware, among many other possibilities.
NewSpace Industry Gaps (Cont.)

11. Research COE in space vehicle propulsion (rockets and novel ETO propulsion)
Capabilities in advanced or adaptive GN&C for space systems
Low-cost manufacturing techniques for structures associated with ELV elements
(composites, additive manufacturing, filament winding, etc.)
Regulatory expertise related to range, FAA interactions, launch processes and
procedures, launch and entry regulations
Independent market analysis and assessment products like market studies,
forecasts, etc. that may help fundraising efforts
Low-cost structural or propulsion testing facilities
Spaceport and vehicle-payload logistics and integration
Human factors (cabin design, flight profile, post-flight, etc.)
NewSpace Industry Gaps (Cont.)

12. Electric propulsion technology
Avionics technology
Small satellite development (micro- & nanosat hardware, comm, sensors, propulsion)
Range assets at commercial spaceports
De-orbit technologies
NASA Flight Opportunities Program:
• Support for University Principle Investigators
• Commercial integrator for vehicles and payloads
Partnerships with VA and FL universities
Data analytics (Skybox Imaging*, Planet Labs, Planetary Resources, etc.)
(*Stanford University spin-out)
NewSpace Industry Gaps (Cont.)

13. NewSpace At UNC: the Past
Led to XCOR Aerospace visit at GTP in April 2010

14. The new NewSpace Initiative Program sponsored the “Leveraging the
Academic-Commercial Partnership for NewSpace” at last week’s
SpaceTech Expo in Long Beach, CA
The goals:
• Connect faculty with NewSpace companies
• Identify internship and job opportunities for ASU students
NewSpace at UNC: the Future?

15. Establish the North Carolina NewSpace Industry and Entrepreneurship Initiative
at UNC-Chapel Hill… and fund accordingly
Inventory of key industry clusters (not just aerospace) that will benefit from the
NewSpace Initiative. > Review other states’ studies as potential models.
Identify stakeholders at companies and state/local A&D industry and economic
development organizations and build support
Develop the North Carolina NewSpace Industry and Entrepreneurship Roadmap
Make recommendations to Governor and legislature for state support
Join Commercial Spaceflight Federation and Suborbital Applications
Researchers Group
NewSpace at UNC: the Future? (Cont.)

16. Will North Carolina Go Big?
“The only thing that can
stop North Carolina from
entrepreneurial success is
North Carolina. All of the
right resources and DNA
are here, but the challenge
is will we think big
enough.”
Dan Roselli
- Co-founder of Packard Place, a
Charlotte incubator and tech
center
- Managing Director of RevTech
Labs, a startup incubator and
accelerator
If North Carolina is the aviation state… why would we limit
ourselves in altitude?