UVI BurstCube: Developing a flight-ready prototype Gamma-Ray-Burst detection nanosatellite at the University of the Virgin Islands

The University of the Virgin Islands physics department will partner with scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center to develop a low-cost gamma-ray-burst detecting nano-satellite (BurstCube). This project will leverage previous work at UVI in GRB studies and x-ray detector development and will support student research opportunities in UVI's new physics undergraduate degree program. UVI BurstCube will be only one in a constellation of BurstCube units under development by a consortium of groups at various institutions. The combined constellation will be able to add significantly to the detection rate of GRBs. Moreover, expertise in astrophysics hardware development and data analysis developed through this project will continue to grow technical capability in this arena at UVI.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.