University in support of SpaceX for launching Starbase Louisiana

Currently causing a rift between the Acadiana community and the government, the arrival of SpaceX in Louisiana has the nation talking. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, being the closest higher education institution in proximity to where Starbase Louisiana will be situated, is inevitably capitalizing on this opportunity. 

On Aug. 25, the same day that SpaceX made their announcement of Starbase Louisiana at an invite-only event in Abbeville, the University published a message titled “Boldly Geaux.” This expressed the University’s full support toward SpaceX, noting the impact that Starbase Louisiana will have on their research potential, academic programs and job prospects for students.

It must be acknowledged that this will bring incredible opportunities for graduates of the University. Speaking to University President Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, he said that the increased job prospects brought about by Starbase Louisiana will be a chance for graduates to stay in Louisiana.

Kolluru said, “Those that we educate in Louisiana stay in Louisiana, contribute to the growth of our economy, contribute to the growth of our communities, and that is exactly what SpaceX, the arrival of SpaceX and the announcement that they have recently made creates as an opportunity.”

Furthermore, this has been a chance for the University to revamp curriculums to align with the skills students should build to work towards the opportunities Starbase Louisiana will open up.

Garth Likens, program manager of the Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experiment (CAPE) under the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, shared that the University is planning to introduce an aerospace engineering concentration, likely to be effective Fall 2027. 

According to Likens, aerospace engineering has been on the table for awhile, and the arrival of SpaceX pushed the University to make it a priority in order to align with the current circumstances. 

“It is my goal to connect as many of those jobs to our graduates from this university and make sure that the curriculum that we have prepares our students for jobs at SpaceX,” Kolluru said.

For Daniel Daspit, a sophomore in electrical engineering who is part of the CAPE program, the construction of Starbase Louisiana will be completed around the time that he expects to graduate, which will open up doors for him. “It’ll give me better opportunities and stuff to let me actually stay in Louisiana instead of moving somewhere else like Texas,” Daspit said. 

Likens said that opportunities in the aerospace industry have always seemed out of reach. “Up until now, it’s been NASA or some… foreign agency making it to space that we’re not… authorized to hear about.”

“All of a sudden, SpaceX is here in our backyard, so it’s super exciting,” he said. 

Starbase Louisiana will also boost the University’s research potential, adding to their contributions to space exploration. 

Likens said, “We’ve been doing space for 23 years in here, out of this laboratory, and so it gives us more momentum than we had before.”

Through the CAPE program and the Nick Pugh Aerospace Electronics Research Laboratory, the University has launched three satellites since the first one in 2007, and are developing their fourth. 

There is also the ongoing CAPE-Twiggs CubeSat project, in which CAPE aims to partner with 20 high schools across the state, the primary mission being called the High School Slimsat Space Initiative 26 (HSSSI 26).

Ava Grace Man, a senior in broadcasting, acknowledges the impact of Starbase Louisiana on the education and careers for students who have a passion for aerosciences and engineering. 

“I think that this could be a great advancement for those kids because that means that they might have a chance to stay here and work here, and that is something that cannot be disregarded,” Man said. Although, the way that the deal was made and the impacts on the local community and environment cannot be overlooked. 

“Outside of UL, the reason why so many people are… aggravated, and we’re unpleasantly surprised by the whole thing, was because it feels like a cop-out… our state sold us out, and that’s how people feel,” Man explained.

Taking the University’s struggle with a financial deficit in the past year into consideration, Man expressed her thoughts on the University’s “Boldly Geaux” message. 

“I just think that… they rushed into trying to cultivate this energy without building the trust back from the students. I think there’s just a bit of a disconnect between… how the population of our school feels versus the corporate people who are pulling the strings behind the scenes.”

For Man, she feels the most strongly about the environmental impacts of Starbase Louisiana, the implications of it being located between two nature reservations, where there are huge populations of fish, migratory birds, other wildlife and plant species. 

“I grew up on the river every weekend. I grew up in Mandeville, and it’s just like that area. It’s… the bayou, and I grew up fishing, I grew up crabbing, I love hunting. There are so many things about the land that I just feel personally connected with my childhood because geographically it’s basically the same where I grew up.”

“If that was happening where I was growing up, I would be extremely devastated because of how beautiful it is out there.”

SpaceX has acknowledged the value of Louisiana’s coastal habitat, and announced plans to assist in coastal restoration efforts. 

However, there are still many unanswered questions as to how exactly the project would strengthen coastal resilience and what the extent of the impact on the community would be. 

These questions can only be answered with time, when construction of Starbase begins.