Latest news with #STARCOM
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida Tech, Patrick Space Force Base partner to offer master's degrees for military personnel
Coming full-circle in a sense, the Florida Institute of Technology will start offering master's degree programs this fall behind the gates at Patrick Space Force Base for military and civilian personnel. "We were founded in the same year as NASA: 1958. And our original mission was to serve as a night school for missilemen, as the Cape Canaveral technicians needed master's degrees in the early days of the Space Race," Florida Tech President John Nicklow said. "Scientists and engineers came together in that year to launch that very important work. The mission soon evolved to encompass military service members. And as Kennedy Space Center grew, and Patrick grew and evolved, so did Florida Tech," Nicklow said. Florida Tech: Virgin Galactic spaceflight chief encourages Florida Tech grads as company builds new rocket plane Nicklow spoke during a June 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony at Patrick's Education and Training Center, where the Melbourne-based university has set up classrooms and support facilities. The four degree programs: Master of Science in acquisition and contract management, Master of Science in space systems, Master of Science in space systems management, and Master of Business Administration. "All incredible things, as you look at Patrick Space Force Base and the unique professionals that we have here, being able to continue their educational experience to further build on their repertoire, their skill set," said U.S. Air Force Col. Christopher Bulson, Space Launch Delta 45 deputy commander. "Whether it's within the Department of Defense, or coming back to the local community when they're done with their service," Bulson said. Nicklow and Bulson plan to expand Florida Tech's offerings in the future, based on need and demand. Student enrollment projections remain in "the discovery phase," they said. Florida Tech's institutional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, is expected to approve the Patrick instructional site this summer. The Melbourne university's faculty members and instructors will commute to the beachside Space Force base and teach eight-week classes in hybrid (in-person and online) fashion. Don Platt, associate professor of space systems and director of Florida Tech's Spaceport Education Center in Titusville, will oversee operations. During a December FLORIDA TODAY interview, Nicklow and Space Force Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba said the university and STARCOM — or Space Training and Readiness Command headquarters — were exploring an educational partnership. STARCOM is in the process of moving from Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs to Patrick, eventually bringing more than 450 military and civilian personnel to Florida's Space Coast. The St. Johns River Water Management District has issued a stormwater management system permit for two future modular buildings for STARCOM personnel on base. Brevard Engineering College — today's Florida Tech — hosted its first classes on Sept. 22, 1958, inside three rented classrooms at Eau Gallie Jr. High School. That building is now West Shore Jr./Sr. High. The university earned the NASA-themed nicknames "Missileman U" and "Countdown College" during its formative years. Five Florida Tech graduates became NASA space shuttle astronauts: Suni Williams, Joan Higginbotham, Kathryn Hire, George Zamka and Frederick Sturckow. Another alumnae, Ann Dunwoody, became America's first female four-star general in the U.S. Army. "I really appreciate the words on the history of the university. It's really amazing to continue that legacy in a different way," Bulson told Nicklow during a tour of Florida Tech's new educational space. "You know, it feels like we're getting back to our roots in some way by doing this. It's a little bit different, but it's who we are," Nicklow replied. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: 'Missileman U' Florida Tech to offer degrees at Patrick Space Force Base
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Patrick Space Force Base to add buildings for STARCOM as field command moves from Colorado
A future pair of modular buildings for STARCOM personnel is slated for construction at Patrick Space Force Base in a grassy field west of The Tides Collocated Club, environmental permitting records show. STARCOM — or Space Training and Readiness Command Headquarters — is in the midst of moving to Patrick from its former home at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs. The field command's geographic shift from Colorado to Florida's Space Coast comes as President Donald Trump is lobbying in favor of the proposed $175 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense system, which would include space-based sensors and interceptors. On May 20, Trump tapped Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein to lead the campaign. Last month, Space Launch Delta 45 officials applied for St. Johns River Water Management District permitting to install two modular buildings measuring 22,898 square feet and 22,737 square feet for STARCOM, along with a 133-space parking lot and dry stormwater retention area. This 4.2-acre footprint off West Tech Road lies within a previously developed and demolished area on base. SJRWMD officials issued a stormwater management system permit on May 8. STARCOM is the Space Force's training hub for warfighting in space, including doctrine, tactics and techniques. "The decision to host STARCOM HQ and Space Delta 10 at Patrick came after conducting a site survey to assess the base's ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity, while accounting for community support, environmental factors, and cost. The Department of the Air Force also conducted an environmental impact analysis," a STARCOM spokesperson said in a statement to FLORIDA TODAY. "Last year, Patrick welcomed its first cohort of STARCOM Guardians, who are currently on the ground, rapidly establishing an initial operating capability for later in 2025," the statement said. "Over the coming years, STARCOM will steadily transition a force of more than 450 personnel as it completes its move. These personnel consist of a mix of uniformed Guardians and Airmen, federal civilians, and contractors," the statement said. STARCOM will use existing and temporary buildings in the Patrick area until the permanent facilities are constructed, the statement said. Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, who commands STARCOM, delivered the keynote address during Florida Institute of Technology fall commencement ceremonies in December. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit Another easy way: Click here to sign up for our weekly Space newsletter. Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@ Twitter/X: @RickNeale1 Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: STARCOM moving from Colorado to Florida amid Trump's 'Golden Dome' push
