Wyoming Nasa Space Grant Consortium

What Wyoming Nasa Space Grant Consortium does

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium is a federally-funded non-profit educational consortium housed within the University of Wyoming's Department of Physics & Astronomy in Laramie. It is one of 52 NASA Space Grant consortia representing each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and operates as Wyoming's designated link between the state's citizens and NASA programs. The consortium sponsors NASA-aligned STEM education, fellowships, faculty research grants, and outreach programming, with all services delivered free of charge to Wyoming students, teachers, and institutions.

The consortium's flagship offering is the High-Altitude Balloon Program, which has conducted 92 flights since Fall 2014 at a sustained cadence of 6-7 launches per year with K-12 schools across Wyoming. Balloon payloads reach 90,000+ feet and integrate Stratostar-designed SatCom flight computers with GPS, meteorological sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and Iridium satellite data transmission, supplemented by SPOT Trace GPS backups, GoPro HERO5 Session and Insta360 cameras, and radiosonde instrument packages matching National Weather Service specifications. Supporting programs include the Science Kitchen hands-on learning center, STEM-ology monthly engagements, Youth in STEM conferences, the WiMSE Women in STEM organization, UW Teton STEM Academy summer camp, NASA EPSCoR research grants, graduate and undergraduate research fellowships, community college STEM scholarships, and NASA Center summer internships.

The consortium is funded through NASA's Space Grant federal appropriation and operates without commercial revenue, pricing, or paying customers. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: programs are delivered through direct partnerships with the University of Wyoming, Wyoming community colleges, K-12 schools statewide, Wyoming EPSCoR, and multi-state collaborations such as the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project. Outreach channels include the consortium website, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, and email newsletters. Geographic service is restricted to Wyoming, with payload-recovery constraints excluding the Jackson Hole, Tetons, Yellowstone, and northwest Wyoming areas.

Name

Wyoming Nasa Space Grant Consortium

Legal name

Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium

Website

https://wyomingspacegrant.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium sponsors NASA-aligned STEM education, fellowships, faculty grants, and K-12 outreach in Wyoming from the University of Wyoming, operating high-altitude balloon launches, research programs, and hands-on learning initiatives free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Outreach Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Science Camps & Field Programs (Nature, Space, Marine, Geology) (EDAMABAB), College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways) (EDAMALAN)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• High-altitude ballooning
• Research fellowships
• NASA space grant
• K-12 outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Laramie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NASA Space Grant Funding: The consortium is funded through NASA's Space Grant program, which supports education and research across all 52 consortia in the US. Funding supports student fellowships, faculty grants, and outreach programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium sponsors NASA-aligned STEM education, research, and outreach programs in Wyoming. Its core offerings include high-altitude balloon flights that carry student payloads to 90,000+ feet, research fellowships and scholarships for university and community college students, hands-on STEM learning via the Science Kitchen, K-12 teacher workshops, and faculty grants tied to NASA mission areas. All programs are delivered free of charge through NASA Space Grant funding.

Product overview

The Wyoming NASA Space Grant Consortium operates as an education and research organization offering multiple interconnected programs. The core offering is the High-Altitude Balloon Program, which includes K-12 Flights, College Flights, and Science Fair Flights. Supporting programs include the Science Kitchen (hands-on STEM learning center), STEM-ology (monthly themed activities), Youth in STEM conferences, and the UW Teton STEM Academy (summer camp). Additional offerings include NASA EPSCoR research grants, graduate and undergraduate research fellowships, community college STEM scholarships, NASA internships, and a teacher balloon workshop. The portfolio spans K-12 outreach, college education, faculty research support, and professional development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Science Kitchen: A center for introducing students to physical sciences through hands-on exploration and problem solving
• WiMSE
• UW Space Cowboys
• Youth in STEM

Products and services

• High-Altitude Balloon Flights

Quantifiable outcome

• Balloon payloads reach 90,000+ feet (17 miles) into the stratosphere
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Integration8 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Montana Space Grant (Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Led the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project for the 2023-24 solar eclipse cycle, with 50+ teams from 75 institutions. Supported by NASA's Science Mission Directorate and Space Grant program.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary parent organization providing Space Grant funding. NASA missions drive program focus areas including science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration. The consortium is one of 52 Space Grant consortia nationwide.
• University of WyomingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution. The consortium is housed in the Dept. of Physics & Astronomy. Provides infrastructure, faculty, and student access for research and outreach programs.
• StratostarcoreTechnology or IntegrationEducation company specializing in high-altitude ballooning and K-12 science outreach. Designs and maintains the SatCom flight computer used in balloon payloads, providing real-time data transmission via Iridium satellite network.
• Wyoming K-12 SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of Wyoming schools hosting balloon launches and educational programs. Includes elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and homeschool groups across the state.
• Casper CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWyoming community college partner. Received partial support from Wyoming Space Grant for NEBP 2023-24 engineering track, launching live-stream balloons from Oklahoma.
• Central Wyoming CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWyoming community college partner. Received partial support from Wyoming Space Grant for NEBP 2023-24 engineering track, launching live-stream balloons from Oklahoma.
• Queensborough Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipated in Wyoming balloon launches as an outreach partner, conducting flights from Laramie with the Wyoming Space Grant program.
• Wyoming EPSCoRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative state program supporting research infrastructure. Wyoming EPSCoR and Space Grant co-sponsor programs including the MSE Seminar series and Own It! women's STEM recognition event.
• National Weather ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUses same radiosonde technology as NWS daily weather balloon launches. The NWS Riverton office is the only Wyoming location launching weather balloons (twice daily).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Idaho Space Grant Consortium: One of the 52 NASA Space Grant consortia serving Idaho, a similarly small-population rural western state. Runs comparable STEM fellowship, K-12 outreach, and balloon programs from a regional university host.
• Utah Space Grant Consortium: One of the 52 NASA Space Grant consortia serving Utah. Operates a comparable portfolio of fellowships, K-12 outreach, and faculty research grants in an adjacent mountain-west state with similar rural geography and small population characteristics.

Others

• University of Wyoming Department of Physics & Astronomy: Host institution department housing the Wyoming Space Grant Consortium. Operates the Harry C. Vaughan Planetarium, conducts space science research, and provides faculty and student access that supports Wyoming Space Grant's fellowship and outreach programs.
• Wyoming EPSCoR: Collaborative state program supporting research infrastructure at the University of Wyoming. Co-sponsors programs with Wyoming Space Grant including the MSE Seminar series and Own It! women's STEM recognition event, sharing overlapping faculty and student audiences.

Broad incumbents

• NASA STEM Engagement: The federal parent program under which Wyoming Space Grant operates. Sets priorities, allocates funding, and runs complementary national STEM initiatives including Artemis Student Challenges, Next Gen STEM, and OSTEM workforces, while Wyoming executes localized programming.
• National Space Grant Foundation: Umbrella organization supporting and coordinating the 52 NASA Space Grant consortia nationwide. Provides national-level advocacy, program coordination, and convening across all state consortia including Wyoming.

Direct peers

• Colorado Space Grant Consortium: One of the 52 NASA Space Grant consortia based at the University of Colorado Boulder. Operates high-altitude balloon (Balloon Outreach, Research, Exploration, and Learning) and rocket programs targeting K-12 and university students, with fellowships and faculty grants comparable to Wyoming's portfolio.
• Montana Space Grant Consortium: One of the 52 NASA Space Grant consortia and leader of the 2023-24 Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project in which Wyoming participated. Operates high-altitude balloon programs and STEM fellowships across Montana with a similar model, including faculty research grants and K-12 outreach.
• Stratostar: Education company specializing in high-altitude ballooning and K-12 science outreach that designs and maintains the SatCom flight computer used in Wyoming's balloon payloads. Comparable as a commercial operator offering near-space STEM experiences, teacher workshops, and student payload programs to schools nationwide.
• Higher Orbits: Nonprofit that partners with Space Grant consortia and schools to run high-altitude balloon launches as experiential STEM programs. Operates Go For Launch! events and similar K-12 near-space experiments directly comparable to Wyoming's balloon launch outreach model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wyspacegrant
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WYSpaceGrant
• Facebookfacebook.com/Wyoming-NASA-Space-Grant-Consortium-144543722256922
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wyspacegrant
• Instagraminstagram.com/wynasaspacegrant

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wyoming Nasa Space Grant Consortium