Brady PieperThe U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is funding research and development initiatives throughout the country that advance global leadership in defense technologies.
As part of this federal effort, the DOD’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is awarding an $11.4 million contract to Alabama’s Auburn University to establish a novel radiation hardening facility in Huntsville. Reinforcing the state’s commitment to defense and aerospace research, this new facility will be the only university-led radiation hardening facility in the nation, designed to test military technology’s reliability in space environments.
“The capacity to test the microelectronics necessary for sustaining and improving MDA’s space assets is crucial to the future of national defense,” Auburn’s Senior Vice President for Research and Development Steve Taylor said. “This new facility will provide testing that will allow us to evaluate the possible effects of extreme radiation exposure.”
The federal funding will be sourced from the DOD’s fiscal year 2024 allocation for research, development, testing and evaluations.
Auburn’s contract, while awarded in November 2024, includes procuring equipment for the facility and establishing a long-term priority access agreement for federal customers, such as the DOD and NASA. The contract’s period of performance will extend until November 2027, with the priority access agreement lasting through November 2032.
The new facility, which will be located at Auburn University’s Applied Research Institute (AUARI) in Cummings Research Park, seeks to ensure the reliability of military technology and equipment while operating in irradiated environments in space. The facility’s proximity to the Redstone Arsenal will also provide increased access to federal partners.
The new facility will provide a dedicated space for research and development of radiation-hardening technologies. The AUARI team notes the acquisition of a “multimillion-dollar cyclotron,” a type of particle accelerator, as the centerpiece of the new state-of-the-art facility.
This new equipment will test the durability of components, such as semiconductors and microchips, that are critical for military and space technologies. The research will also focus on improving the resilience of electronics for both defense and space exploration purposes.
Alabama institutions already boast several federal defense contracts that encompass research, development and manufacturing of military technologies, including a recent $204 million contract with Alabama-based Dynetics Inc. for launcher assets, spares and incidentals.
Similarly, Auburn University’s federal commitment represents a combination of local, state and federal interest to collaborate with public and private entities for the advancement of critical defense technologies.
“I’m proud to support Auburn’s role in a project so crucial to national security and so pivotal for the future of the American space program,” Congressman Mike Rogers said. “That this will be the only university in the nation doing this incredibly important work reinforces the state of Alabama’s reputation — and particularly Auburn University’s reputation — as a leader in aerospace and defense research.”
Photo Courtesy:
Dean Calma / IAEA
IAEA Imagebank via Wikimedia Commons
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