West Virginia University Center for Innovation in Space Exploration and Research
Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Sustaining the world above us

Space debris remains a persistent threat to assets and humans in space. The proliferation of low Earth orbit (LEO) with replenishable small satellite megaconstellations driven by commercial interests has further stressed Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and put focus on space traffic management (STM). Spacecraft also function in a hostile radiation environment. CISER is dedicated to developing the next-generation of technologies that will enable a safe and sustainable space environment for future generations.

Learn more about our research

What is CISER?

Created in 2023, The Center for Innovation in Space Exploration is an official Statler College research center at West Virginia University established to sustain and accelerate growth in space exploration research. The center members have achieved tremendous success over the last five years leading to over $30 million in research funding from government and industry. 

Our sponsors include the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Office of Space Commerce (OSC), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DoE), TelePIX, and the Department of Defense (DoD). These include three highly prestigious Early Career awards: the NSF CAREER Award to Piyush M. Mehta and Weichao Tu and the NASA’s Early Career Faculty Award to Hang Woon Lee. 

IARPA logo NASA logo Office of Space Commerce logo  NSF logo  Department of Energy logo  Telepix logo  Department of Defense logo

What does CISER do?

The Center for Innovation in Space Exploration and Research at West Virginia University was established to propel WVU and West Virginia towards national and international recognition in research and development for space situational awareness and space safety and sustainability. 

The recent growth of the commercial space industry has demonstrated the finiteness of space that needs to be utilized collectively and effectively. Space weather and debris present two natural environmental threats to humans and assets in space.

Our Mission

The mission of the center is to advance knowledge and technologies in space exploration and to propel the university and state to the forefront of the space exploration domain, while training the next generation.

What are CISER's areas of expertise?

CISER boasts unique expertise among its members in various aspects of space situational awareness and space safety and sustainability. These include astrodynamics, space weather and science, data science, constellation design.

Our partners at TMC Technologies and the West Virginia Small Satellite Center bring expertise in the areas of SmallSat mission operations, digital-twin technologies, spacecraft bus design, flight software design, and mission assurance. These diverse capabilities allow us to solve very challenging, multi-disciplinary problems in the space domain. We are currently working on expanding our relationships to include more partners.

center for innovation in space exploration and research

1374 Evansdale Drive | PO Box 6070
Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6070

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

1374 Evansdale Drive | PO Box 6070
Morgantown, West Virginia 26506-6070

Phone:  304.293.4821 |  Email:  statler-info@mail.wvu.edu

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