Purdue University has announced a partnership with Virgin Galactic for a suborbital spaceflight mission named Purdue 1, scheduled for 2027. The mission will feature a crew composed entirely of Purdue faculty, students, and alumni, who will conduct human-tended research experiments in microgravity.
The announcement was made on September 23 at Purdue's Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering. This initiative reinforces the university's long-standing connection to space exploration and aims to create new opportunities for academic research beyond Earth's atmosphere.
Key Takeaways
- Purdue University is partnering with Virgin Galactic for a suborbital space mission called Purdue 1, planned for 2027.
- The five-person crew will consist entirely of Purdue faculty, students, and alumni.
- The mission will focus on human-tended research, specifically studying how fluids behave in microgravity.
- Crew members include Professor Steven Collicott, graduate student Abigail Mizzi, and alumnus Jason Williamson.
A New Frontier for University Research
The Purdue 1 mission represents a significant step for academic institutions in accessing space. By placing researchers directly on board a spacecraft, Purdue intends to demonstrate the potential for hands-on scientific inquiry in a microgravity environment. The mission's primary research focus will be on fluid dynamics in zero gravity, a critical area for improving spacecraft design, fuel management, and planning for long-duration space travel.
Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering, highlighted the mission's broader goals. "The Purdue 1 mission is designed to demonstrate what is possible in space," Raman stated. "With students, faculty and alumni all together, we are challenging the notion that a university is restricted to a geographical location on Earth."
Purdue's Legacy in Space
Known as the "Cradle of Astronauts," Purdue University has a distinguished history in space exploration. The university counts 30 alumni who have become NASA astronaut candidates or have flown in space. The crew of Purdue 1 will join this prestigious group following their flight.
The mission will utilize one of Virgin Galactic's next-generation spaceships. To accommodate the research equipment, the spacecraft, which normally seats six passengers, will have one seat removed. This modification allows for a five-person crew and a dedicated payload rack for the experiments.
The Crew and Their Experiments
The crew for the Purdue 1 flight includes individuals from different parts of the Purdue community, uniting faculty, current students, and alumni in a shared scientific endeavor.
Leading the Research
Steven Collicott, a professor in Purdue's School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will be one of the primary researchers on the flight. With nearly 40 years of experience in fluid physics, Collicott will conduct experiments on how liquids spread over surfaces in zero gravity. This research has practical applications for designing life support systems, plant growth habitats, and other hardware for future space missions.
"This flight puts an experienced researcher up there with the experiment, putting the brain power up there," Collicott explained. "It’ll be a situation where observations and decisions need to be made to maximize the value and amount of data collected in the experiment."
Collicott's participation is funded by a NASA Flight Opportunities award he received in 2021. He emphasized that being present with the experiment allows for real-time adjustments and decision-making, similar to a field scientist conducting research on-site.
A Student's Perspective
Graduate student Abigail Mizzi will also be on board, conducting her own research project. Her experiment investigates the oscillations of liquids in rotating containers, a phenomenon known as "sloshing." Understanding this is vital for controlling spacecraft, especially during maneuvers like docking.
Mizzi's project is an advanced version of an automated experiment Collicott flew on a previous Virgin Galactic mission in 2024. "This is a culmination of the skills and knowledge that I learned in the past four years and now get to apply it in the unique and complex environment of space," said Mizzi, who is 22. Her seat on the flight is being supported by donations to the university.
From Minutes to Seconds
Professor Collicott has taught a zero-gravity flight experiment course for 30 years, using parabolic aircraft to simulate weightlessness. However, those flights provide only about 20 seconds of microgravity at a time. The Virgin Galactic suborbital flight will offer a significantly longer duration for conducting detailed experiments.
The Role of Alumni and Commercial Partnership
The Purdue 1 mission also highlights the strong connection between the university and its alumni, as well as its partnership with the commercial space industry. Three of the five seats on the flight are designated for alumni passengers.
One of the confirmed alumni is Jason Williamson, a civil engineering graduate and senior vice president at the design firm Dunaway. Williamson described the flight as the fulfillment of a childhood dream inspired by building model rockets and attending Space Camp. "This opportunity aboard Purdue 1 is proof that barriers are meant to be broken," he said. "Virgin Galactic and Purdue are making space reachable and helping fulfill a lifelong dream of mine."
A second seat has been reserved by another alumna, and one final seat remains available for a Purdue graduate interested in participating. The university is actively seeking alumni to join the historic mission.
Virgin Galactic's Vision for Research
The partnership with Purdue aligns with Virgin Galactic's goal of expanding access to space for research and education. Mike Moses, President of Spaceline at Virgin Galactic and a Purdue alumnus himself, commented on the mission's potential impact.
"We anticipate that this mission with Purdue University will be a powerful demonstration of what can be possible when research institutions and educators gain direct access to the microgravity environment," Moses stated.
He added that enabling researchers to interact with their experiments directly not only advances science but also inspires future innovators. "We expect Purdue 1 to be a milestone for our Spaceline and for the broader research and education community, showing how suborbital spaceflight can transform both scientific inquiry and hands-on STEM education."
By providing a platform for human-tended research, Virgin Galactic and Purdue are pioneering a new model for academic engagement in space, moving from remote observation to direct, hands-on experimentation in the suborbital environment.