Capacity Building

The Milo Institute provides the opportunity to engage a workforce in experiential education supported by technology development, workshops and distance learning.

Milo Mission Academy

The Milo Institute at ASU has partnered with the NASA L’SPACE Program team (https://www.lspace.asu.edu/) to deploy the the Milo Mission Academy for international partners. The Mission Academy provides unique, hands-on learning and insight into the dynamic world of Space. The semester-long course eradicates many barriers to entry to STEM workforce development and provides a unique and inclusive culture where all participants are welcomed and supported to “reach the finish line” in their journey to become technically skilled and competitive.

The Mission Academy for Climate Action and Earth Science equips students with expertise in remote sensing to create cutting-edge applications that use satellite data to address challenges on Earth. The applications will play a pivotal role in monitoring natural resources and land use to safeguard wellbeing and sustainability.

The Mission Academy for Lunar Exploration provides an understanding of the space mission life cycle. This team-based experience will help participants gain knowledge about the practices, protocols, and procedures it takes to be operational on the Moon and Mars. The skills gained through this academy are foundational workforce skills that will be transferable across many Earth-based sectors.

Space Works Internship

The Space Works program is designed for graduate students, and early career professionals who have shown promise as leaders in their country. Participants travel to ASU and have an immersive experience in the development lifecycle of space instruments. The program provides experience in complex project design and fabrication, digital engineering, additive manufacturing, testing, and project management, training in cleanroom protocol, and test and evaluation procedures that produce valid scientific results. Participants will prepare an industry standard Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and End Item Data Package technical document.

Planet Earth Workshop

Designed for entrepreneurs, early- and mid-career professionals, executives, investors, and policy-makers, the 8-week program trains participants to leverage space-enabled scientific data to transform their terrestrial business models. Every corporate executive team needs a space strategy (https://hbr.org/2022/11/your-company-needs-a-space-strategy-now), and employees need to understand the tools that will advance their company in the new space economy. The workshop provides skills (scientific and non-scientific) needed to access and utilize space assets and convert remote sensing and other data into actionable intelligence. Workshop topics will include space entrepreneurship, strategic thinking in the context of emerging space technologies, enhanced production and profitability from space science and technology, resource management, urban planning, and disaster preparation and response. Teams will engage in an innovation sprint that will propel their company or project into space commerce and planetary stewardship.

Space Payload Challenge

Based on the Grand Challenge model, the Milo Space Payload Challenge begins with a series of challenge statements, each incorporating an Artemis Science Goal (for lunar missions) or a science goal from an international Consensus Study Report (for deep space missions). The program leads teams through an innovative process to rapidly develop prototypes capable of demonstrating critical functionality. Teams leverage training received from the Mission Academy and Space Works to accelerate prototype development.

The Space Payload Challenge program provides participants with Access to Subject Matter Experts from ASU, guidelines and processes to accelerate development of functioning prototype, preparation of a Critical Design Review (CDR) and Test Readiness Review (TRR), preparation of a Technology Maturation Plan describing the work needed to advance the prototype into a flight-qualified payload, participation in a Demo Day event held in Los Angeles.