About HSFL

Our vision

Hawai’i is perfectly suited for certain sectors of the aerospace industry. Hawai’i’s unique geographical position and geological features translate into unique economic opportunities that can be used as strong pillars for a new, high-tech, high-paying Aerospace sector that would employ current Hawai’i residents. Some of the sectors that are economically advantageous for Hawai’i include:

  • Small satellite manufacturing, testing and on-orbit operations
  • Small vehicle orbital launch
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems (UAS) testing, research, and training
  • Planetary surface training/testing programs

Our aims

The Hawai’i Space Flight Laboratory (HSFL), under the University of Hawai’i Manoa, aims to

01

Promote innovative engineering and science research for terrestrial and planetary space missions.

02

Develop, launch, and operate small spacecraft from the Hawaiian Islands to accelerate the validation of new space technologies.

03

Provide workforce training in all aspects of unmanned space missions.

04

Promote synergistic collaborations between educational, governmental, and corporate institutions interested in space exploration.

Looking ahead

Future opportunities

Future projects present solid opportunities for Private – Public partnerships and/or research grants that will benefit Hawai’i:

Launch Operations

  • Small Vehicle Launch Facility. Island of Hawai’i
  • Launch of Small Orbital Rocket from Towed UAS Glider Plane. Oahu, Hawai’i

UAS

  • High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS). Lana’i, Hawai’i
  • UAS Programs in collaboration with UH and OSU
  • Remote Sensing

Planetary Surface Operations

  • Autonomous Rovers
  • Planetary Surface Analogue Experiments with Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES)