7 Stellar Honorees Earn UCF’s 2026 SpaceU Awards As part of the second UCF Space Week, the honors celebrate individuals and organizations who are advancing development, discovery, exploration, and engagement in the field.
UCF Engineers Develop Digital Rover Twin to Help Navigate Future NASA Missions UCF researchers are exploring digital-twin technology that could help operators simulate rover movements in real time, with potential applications for future space missions.
UCF Alum ‘Returns to Earth’ After 378-Day Mars Mission Film production entrepreneur and electrical engineer Matthew Montgomery ’08 ’09MS recounts his experience as part of a four-person crew for NASA’s CHAPEA Mission 2 at Johnson Space Center.
UCF Researcher Designing Hypersonic Jet Engine for Seamless Atmospheric and Space Travel The research aims to design a specialized dual-mode engine that may make hypersonic and space travel more efficient and accessible.
Shooting for the Moon: A UCF Graduate’s Role in Artemis Mission Safety Joseph Hoayun ’22 ’26MSEM helps test the spacecraft systems that’ll carry astronauts farther in space and bring them home safely.
7 UCF Engineering Students Awarded SMART Scholarships to Take on National Defense Challenges With full tuition covered, hands-on experience and civilian jobs lined up, these Knights are preparing to advance aerospace technology, strengthen digital security and tackle emerging defense challenges.
UCF-Led Team Receives $19.2 Million Army Research Office Award to Advance the Science of Light A five-year research program will explore new ways to understand and control light traveling through turbulent and complex environments, while helping launch a new chapter for UCF’s Townes Laser Institute.
Coastal Flooding Happens at Predictable Times, UCF-led Study Finds Professor Ivan Haigh and a team of researchers from around the world found that knowing when coastal floods are most likely to occur could improve forecasting and preparedness as sea levels rise.
Mission X: Honoring UCF’s Origin Story for 10th Annual Space Game In celebration of the Space Game’s 10th anniversary, journey through six decades of UCF’s space story — from the origin of America’s Space University to the people and discoveries pushing exploration forward today.
UCF Honors 8 Trailblazing Faculty with 2026 Luminary Awards The honorees are advancing discovery across fields ranging from transportation safety and quantum science to tourism, disaster resilience and emerging technology.
