Expanding Frontiers, the Brownsville-based nonprofit that provides hands-on training for aspiring entrepreneurs in the emerging space industry, has received a grant through the National Space Society and Blue Origin’s Club for the Future initiative to inspire the next generation of space professionals.
In a news release, Expanding Frontiers announced that its Space Entrepreneur Summer Academy (SESA) will create the National Space Society-Club for the Future (NSS-CFF) Scholars program, in which 10 high school students from this year’s SESA cohort will receive internships at Expanding Frontiers.
SESA is based in Brownsville, and is offered to all regional students who are interested in space. Participants engage with NASA experts, retired NASA engineers, NewSpace thought leaders, SESA alumni who are now professionals in the field, and NewSpace business people from across the nation, Expanding Frontiers said in the release.
Interns selected from the program will get to work with mentors from academia and industry on space-related technology research and development. Several will be working directly with startup companies in the Expanding Frontiers space innovation ecosystem, an interconnected network of companies, universities, government agencies, and other entities that are creating new products and services associated with the space industry, the release stated.
“We are excited for the new opportunities the National Space Society and the Club for the Future are enabling for our students here in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Fredrick Jenet, the founder and executive director of Expanding Frontiers.
Anita Gale, a retired NASA Space Shuttle engineer and CEO of the National Space Society and its International Space Settlement Design Competition, said she is pleased to be working with Expanding Frontiers.
“Mr. Bezos’s generous gift to the NSS extends to all humanity in spirit,” she said, referring to Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring a new generation into space-related endeavors. This is an investment in the future of humanity, and we’re pleased to be working with Expanding Frontiers on their important program,” she stated in the release.
SESA is currently accepting applications for the 2022 summer session July 11-30. During the three-week session, students will interact with scientists, past SESA attendees, and “astropreneurs” about entering careers in space.
To learn more, visit ExpandingFrontiers.org. Expanding Frontiers is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization developing an innovation ecosystem with emphasis on space and energy technologies in Brownsville and supports local entrepreneurs.
