Morehead State University receives federal funding to support Space Science Center

Morehead State University’s Space Science Center has received $7.54 million in federal funding through a Community Project Funding earmark secured by U.S. Rep. Harold "Hal" Rogers (KY-05). The funding will support the operations of the university’s Space Science Center, which was recently selected to track NASA’s Artemis II mission, which is scheduled to launch in March 2026.

According to an article on Morehead State University’s website, Congressman Rogers, who is a cardinal member of the House Appropriations Committee, was quoted as saying of the funding, "MSU launched this flagship mission more than 20 years ago, and today, students are working first-hand with the nation's leaders in aerospace technology for American space missions. I'm incredibly proud of our students and the innovative opportunities they have right here at home in the mountains. Students at Morehead State University not only have a front row seat to NASA's lunar missions and deep space pioneering, but they also get to participate in these missions through coding and engineering, as a result of key investments like this Community Project Funding."

This is not the first time Congressman Rogers has secured funding for the Space Science Center. In 2024, he secured a $10 million Community Project Funding earmark that allowed the facility to upgrade two space tracking stations. This funding has allowed the university to continue working on government-funded missions and private space exploration alike.

University president Dr. Jay Morgan said, "At Morehead State University, we are incredibly proud to lead the way for space exploration and aerospace engineering, alongside the nation's premier private space tech companies and NASA. Thanks to Congressman Rogers' continued support and success in securing federal funds for student programs, we are now expanding capabilities and opportunities in our state-of-the-art Space Science Center."

Dr. Benjamin Malphrus, who serves as the executive director of the MSU Space Science Center, said, "This additional federal funding provides a significant gateway for our students to be an integral part of future historic space missions. Without the previous support, we would not have had the capability to support Artemis II. With Congressman Rogers' new support, MSU will be advancing our payload operations capabilities. We will upgrade our Mission Operations Center to support space-based payload operations for multiple missions simultaneously for both NASA and commercial ventures. We are leading the way for our students to do more research from the Appalachian Mountains with more advanced technology, alongside government and commercial leaders in aerospace."

A separate article on Morehead State University’s website explains the university being chosen to track NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission. The university will be working alongside 34 other organizations around the world who will be working to track the mission. The Space Science Center’s 21-meter high-gain antenna, Deep Space Station 17, will provide NASA with tracking data.

Assistant Professor Dr. Andrea Togni said of this effort, “In this role, they help keep our systems operational, support real-time station operations, and participate directly in these mission phases. This experience is exceptionally valuable. I dare say few students in the world have the opportunity to operate a professional deep-space ground station, and even fewer gain exposure to tracking spacecraft in deep space, gaining experience that goes far beyond the typical low-Earth-orbit operations supported by most facilities.”

For more information about Morehead State University, visit the school’s website.