LA Space Grant & NASA EPSCoR

What LA Space Grant & NASA EPSCoR does

LaSPACE (Louisiana Space Grant Consortium) is the state-designated NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR program for Louisiana, established in 1991 and administered at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. It operates a statewide consortium of 44 affiliate institutions - including HBCUs, community colleges, research-intensive universities, four-year institutions, workforce development organizations, and informal education nonprofits - to deliver competitively awarded funding, hands-on flight projects, and professional development opportunities aligned with all five NASA Mission Directorates. Core technical offerings include the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP), which has flown 213 student payloads to approximately 36 km altitude since 2006, and the LaACES sounding balloon program, which has engaged 500+ students across 13 Louisiana institutions since 2005. Additional programs include graduate and undergraduate research assistantships (GSRA, LURA), faculty Research Enhancement Awards (REA), scholarships (GPS), industry internships at aerospace employers, K-12 educator development, and joint programming with Louisiana Sea Grant.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. LaSPACE does not sell products or services; it distributes federal NASA Space Grant and NASA EPSCoR funding, supplemented by state matching through the Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund, to recipients at Louisiana higher education institutions. Approximately 50 subprojects are funded annually. Cumulative program output since 1991 includes 500+ research projects, 3,000+ college students funded, and ~70 student balloon launches. The consortium is staffed by a four-person leadership team (Director, Assistant Director, Program Manager, Program Coordinator) and relies on strategic partnerships with NASA Balloon Program Office, Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, National Space Grant Foundation, and Louisiana Sea Grant for program delivery.

The organization's customer base is structurally inverted relative to a typical commercial entity: NASA and the State of Louisiana are the sole funding sources, while 44 affiliate institutions, hundreds of faculty researchers, and thousands of students are program recipients. Industry partners (Lockheed Martin, Cislune, Avex, Vivace) participate as internship hosts rather than paying customers. LaSPACE's competitive position rests on its exclusive federal designation, multi-decade operating history, unique flight platforms, and embedded role in the national Space Grant network.

Name

LA Space Grant & NASA EPSCoR

Legal name

Louisiana Space Grant Consortium

Website

https://laspace.lsu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LaSPACE is Louisiana's designated NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR program, administered at LSU since 1991. It distributes federal and state funding across 44 affiliate institutions to support student research, faculty awards, high-altitude balloon flight projects, and aerospace industry internships aligned with NASA Mission Directorates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Research & Education Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Space Research and Technology (92711)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)

Keywords

• Aerospace research funding
• STEM education programs
• Student flight programs
• Space grant consortium
• Faculty research awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Baton Rouge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. NASA Space Grant Funding: Federal funding through the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program managed by NASA, supporting statewide STEM research, education, and public literacy initiatives.
2. NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development (RID): NASA EPSCoR funding for research infrastructure development in states with historical less than 2% of NASA research awards.
3. Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund: State matching funds through Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund that support the REA (Research Enhancement Awards) Program for faculty research development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LaSPACE administers NASA Space Grant and NASA EPSCoR funding across Louisiana, distributing competitively awarded grants, scholarships, and assistantships to students, faculty, and staff at 44 affiliate higher education institutions. The consortium also develops and delivers hands-on student flight programs (HASP high-altitude balloon platform and LaACES scientific ballooning) and workforce development programming including industry internships with aerospace companies at NASA facilities.

Product overview

LaSPACE (Louisiana Space Grant Consortium) is a statewide consortium administered at Louisiana State University, established in 1991 under NASA's National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The organization does not offer a single unified software product but rather operates a portfolio of research, education, and workforce development programs. The core programs include the High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) for student balloon payloads and LaACES for student scientific ballooning experiences. Additional offerings encompass graduate and undergraduate research assistantships (GSRA, LURA), faculty research awards (REA), scholarships (GPS), internship programs, K-12 outreach, and the collaborative LaSSO program with Sea Grant. These programs collectively aim to develop NASA's-relevant STEM workforce in Louisiana through competitively awarded funding, hands-on flight projects, and professional development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HASP (High Altitude Student Platform): A program designed to carry up to twelve student payloads to an altitude of about 36 kilometers using a small volume, zero pressure balloon for flight-testing compact satellites or prototypes.
• LaACES (Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students)

Products and services

• High Altitude Student Platform (HASP) A flight platform that carries up to twelve student payloads to an altitude of about 36 kilometers with flight durations of 15 to 20 hours using a small volume zero-pressure balloon, designed to flight-test compact satellites or prototypes and fly other small experiments for student researchers nationwide.
• LaACES (Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students) A statewide scientific ballooning project providing students a full academic year of lectures and hands-on activities building skills in basic electronics, sensor interfacing, real-time programming, mechanical development, and project management; students design, develop, fabricate, and fly ~500-gram balloon payloads to 100,000 feet.
• GIRAF (Graduate Interjurisdictional Research Award Fellowship) Joint Louisiana Space Grant and Sea Grant fellowship requiring use of NASA and NOAA data archives and remote-sensing capabilities to address coastal research needs, with $10,000 per award.
• Guided Pathways in STEM (GPS) Competitive scholarship program providing $3,000 financial support to recruit and retain students in NASA-relevant disciplines with professional development requirements.
• Graduate Student Research Assistance (GSRA) Program augmenting compensation levels for graduate students at LaSPACE campuses with $10,000 supplements for 9.5-month periods to support stipends, research expenses, and conference presentations.
• LaSPACE Undergraduate Research Assistantship (LURA) Undergraduate research program providing $4,500 awards for hands-on mentored research experiences relevant to space sciences with faculty researchers as mentors.
• Research Enhancement Awards (REA) Faculty research support program aimed at emerging researchers or those pursuing new directions, funded by Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund to develop expertise and research capabilities.
• Industry Internship Program Workforce development program providing summer industry internships for Louisiana college students at NASA-aligned companies, funding undergraduate interns at $8,200 for 10-week, 400-hour placements with partners including Lockheed Martin, Cislune, Avex, and Vivace.
• Support for Advanced Flight Opportunities for Students (SAFOS) Program funding student teams participating in advanced flight programs like HASP, RockSat-C, and RockSat-X, supporting development of satellite payloads and space-engineering products.
• Student Team Engagement & Mentorship Support (STEMS) Program providing $12,000 to $30,000 in financial support to undergraduate student cohorts participating in NASA-aligned research projects with mentoring and professional development activities.
• LaSSO (LA Space & Sea Grant Opportunity) 9.5-month $4,500 award for undergraduate science/engineering students working on NASA and NOAA priority research areas including earth science, coastal studies, and remote sensing.
• K-12 and Outreach Program Program funding K-12 teacher development and informal education projects targeting scientific literacy through public STEM events and support for educators.
• MARS Truck Outreach Mobile outreach program bringing STEM education and space-related experiences to larger community events like High School STEM Nights and Maker Fairs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3,000+ college students funded since 1991
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and standard.

• NASA Balloon Program Office (BPO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASA BPO provides critical support for HASP flight operations including balloon launch, flight tracking, and mission operations from CSBF. HASP flies annually from Fort Sumner, NM under BPO management.
• Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSBF provides launch facilities, flight operations, and mission support for HASP and LaACES balloon programs. Integration and testing conducted at CSBF facility in Palestine, Texas.
• Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programming including GIRAF Graduate Fellowship combining Space Grant and Sea Grant data/resources, and LaSSO undergraduate research program for NASA-NOAA aligned coastal and earth science research.
• National Space Grant Foundation (NSGF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNSGF administers scholarship payments for programs like GPS Scholars, distributing funds to student recipients through established foundation processes.
• 44 LaSPACE Affiliate InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Louisiana higher education institutions including LSU, Tulane, Loyola, Xavier, Southern University, community colleges, HBCUs, and informal education organizations participating in LaSPACE programs.
• Lockheed MartinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry internship partner providing engineering positions at NASA Stennis Space Center and Michoud Assembly Facility for Orion, Prompt Strike, and Next Generation Interceptor programs. Summer 2026 offerings include engineering analysis, industrial engineering, and stress analysis internships.
• CislunemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner for rover software/hardware development under GRASP project for lunar surface operations, including CISORT cyclonic regolithBeneficiation research. Remote work internships available.
• AvexstandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerospace MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) at Acadiana Regional Airport providing quality engineering internship opportunities in aircraft maintenance environment.
• VivacestandardStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing engineering internship at Michoud Assembly Facility supporting Fusion and Friction Stir Welded Pressurant and Propellant tanks for spaceflight hardware.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary federal funder through Space Grant College and Fellowship Program and EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development. LaSPACE aligns with all NASA Mission Directorates: Aeronautics, Exploration Systems, Science, Space Operations, and Space Technology.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• California Space Grant Consortium: California's NASA Space Grant consortium spanning the UC system; operates a similar statewide network of affiliate institutions with comparable student research grant and faculty enhancement programs.
• South Carolina Space Grant Consortium: South Carolina's NASA Space Grant consortium administered at the College of Charleston; regional peer with similar student research, faculty awards, and K-12 outreach program mix within a smaller southeastern state footprint.
• Georgia Space Grant Consortium: Georgia's NASA Space Grant consortium administered at Georgia Tech; operates a comparable statewide affiliate network with student research, faculty enhancement, and K-12 outreach programs.
• Texas Space Grant Consortium: Texas's NASA Space Grant consortium administered at Texas A&M University; one of the largest state Space Grant programs with comparable affiliate network, balloon flight heritage, and student research programs.
• Florida Space Grant Consortium: Florida's NASA Space Grant consortium administered across multiple universities including UCF, Embry-Riddle, and UFL; comparable statewide Space Grant model serving Florida higher education institutions with NASA-aligned research funding.
• Alabama Space Grant Consortium: Alabama's NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR consortium administered at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, directly comparable in mission (STEM workforce development, research funding, student flight programs) and structure (statewide affiliate network) to LaSPACE.

Others

• Louisiana Sea Grant: Louisiana's NOAA Sea Grant College Program administered at LSU; operates as a structural peer (parallel state-level federal grant program) and a co-development partner through LaSPACE's GIRAF and LaSSO joint programs.

Broad incumbents

• National Space Grant Foundation: National nonprofit that supports the 52 Space Grant consortia and administers scholarship payments on behalf of programs like LaSPACE's GPS Scholars; functions as the national coordinating body for the Space Grant network.
• NASA EPSCoR Program: The federal Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research managed by NASA; LaSPACE itself administers Louisiana's EPSCoR RID award, making NASA EPSCoR both the funding source and a structural peer program.

Regional players

• Mississippi Space Grant Consortium: Mississippi's NASA Space Grant and EPSCoR consortium administered at Mississippi State University; geographic neighbor to Louisiana with comparable state-scale Space Grant operations and EPSCoR funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/la-space-grant-nasa-epscor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LA Space Grant & NASA EPSCoR