Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)¶
Type: University (Academia) Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts SST projects: 4 (the most of any university, tied with JPL among all orgs with 4) Key labs: STAR Lab (Cahoy), Space Propulsion Lab (Lozano), Space Systems Lab (Saenz-Otero) Last updated: Session 17, 2026-04-14
SST Portfolio¶
| Project | PI | Period | TRL | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94065 CLICK | Kerri Cahoy | 2017–2026 | 4→7 | flew (CLICK-A 2022; CLICK-B/C pending Q2 2026) |
| 95548 Electrospray Explorer | Paulo Lozano | 2018–2024 | 3→7 | transitioned → Accion/Revolution Space + GPDM |
| 95558 SPRINT | Kerri Cahoy | 2018–2020 | 3→5 | no-visible-outcome |
| 90699 Smoothing-Based Relative Nav | Alvar Saenz-Otero | 2016–2018 | 3→6 | no-visible-outcome |
Hit rate: 2 of 4 (50%) have visible downstream impact — above the portfolio average of 54%.
Principal Investigators¶
Kerri Cahoy — STAR Lab (2 SST projects)¶
Cahoy leads MIT's Space, Telecommunications, Astronomy, and Radiation (STAR) Lab. She is PI on both CLICK and SPRINT, the two most recent MIT SST awards.
CLICK is SST's flagship laser communications demonstration — a two-phase mission: - CLICK-A (single 3U CubeSat): Launched on CRS-25 (July 2022). Demonstrated optical downlink >10 Mbps from LEO to a 12-inch ground telescope at ~400 km altitude. Risk reduction for B/C. - CLICK-B/C (two 3U CubeSats): Full-duplex laser crosslink between two spacecraft at 15–580 km separation. >20 Mbps data rate. Precision ranging to 0.5 m. NET Q2 2026 — not yet launched as of April 2026.
CLICK uses commercially available 1550 nm laser components and MEMS fine-steering mirrors, deliberately keeping costs low. The factsheet names MIT, University of Florida (John Conklin, co-PI), and NASA ARC as partners. Built at MIT, integrated into small spacecraft by NASA ARC.
CLICK sits in the broader SST laser comms arc: OCSD (2017, Aerospace Corp) → CLICK-A (2022) → CLICK-B/C (2026). The progression is ground-downlink → crosslink. See Smallsat Communications.
SPRINT (Scheduling Planning Routing Intersatellite Network Tool) was a constellation scheduling algorithm for hundreds of hyperspectral imaging small satellites. TRL 3→5 over 2 years. No visible downstream adoption, though the constellation scheduling problem is increasingly relevant (Starlink, SDA Tranche).
NTRS footprint: 7+ CLICK-related citations (2018–2024), spanning factsheets, conference papers, presentations. Recent work (SPIE 2025) on optical alignment for crosslink terminals.
Publications (selected): - Mayer, Fishman, Cahoy — "CubeSat Laser Infrared CrosslinK" (NTRS 20190002781) - Coogan, Conklin, Belsten, Cahoy — "Pulsed Laser Links Simulation for Small Satellite Clock Model Estimation" (J. Spacecraft & Rockets, 2024) - Lee, Hinderman, Serra et al. — "Optical alignment for CubeSat crosslink laser communication terminals" (SPIE 13602, Sep 2025)
Paulo Lozano — Space Propulsion Lab (1 SST project)¶
Lozano is the most impactful MIT SST PI by downstream reach. His SST-funded Electrospray Explorer (95548) developed staged electrospray thruster arrays for deep-space small satellites, achieving TRL 7.
Downstream impact (extensive): - Founded Accion Systems (2014) — MIT spinout commercializing ionic liquid electrospray propulsion. Accion's TILE thruster won MDA SHIELD contract. $65M+ VC raised. Accion merged into Revolution Space. - GPDM electrospray supplier — Lozano's MIT Space Propulsion Lab provides the electrospray thrusters for GPDM (155369). His SST-funded technology IS the GPDM payload. This is a confirmed SST→SST internal transition. - People chain to Espace Inc. — François Martel (Espace founder) has MIT SPL email (fm@space.mit.edu), suggesting direct lab lineage. Espace builds GPDM's bimodal electronics. - People chain to Michigan — Oliver Jia-Richards (SmallSat Steward PI at U Michigan, 155364) came from MIT SPL. Lozano's lab is seeding PIs across the SST network. - GPDM convergence — One of three SST people chains converging on GPDM (with Dankanich/iSat and Lightsey/AR&D). See GPDM convergence surprise.
See Accion Systems / Revolution Space for full company lineage.
Alvar Saenz-Otero — Space Systems Lab (1 SST project)¶
Saenz-Otero directed MIT's Space Systems Lab and created SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites), the ISS free-flyer testbed that operated 2006–2014. His SST project (90699) developed smoothing-based relative navigation algorithms for inspector satellites observing passive objects.
Downstream: No visible SST-specific downstream. However, SPHERES heritage is foundational to NASA's RPOD technology base. Saenz-Otero has since moved to the University of Washington Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics, continuing relative navigation research.
Cross-References¶
- Accion Systems / Revolution Space → org page (Lozano spinout)
- GPDM convergence → surprise (Lozano is one of 3 converging chains)
- Espace Inc. → org page (MIT SPL connection via Martel)
- U Michigan → org page (Jia-Richards from MIT SPL)
- Smallsat Communications → topic (CLICK in laser comms arc)
- Smallsat Propulsion → topic (Lozano electrospray)
- Autonomy, GN&C → topic (SPRINT, Saenz-Otero relative nav)
Patterns¶
MIT exemplifies Archetype #4 (People Chain) and Archetype #9 (SBIR-to-Flight Pipeline) simultaneously. Lozano's path — SST seed → Accion spinout → GPDM flight hardware — is the cleanest university-to-flight pipeline in the SST portfolio. Cahoy's CLICK is a direct SST-to-flight demo. The two 50% "no visible outcome" projects (SPRINT, Saenz-Otero) are typical of the university academic ceiling pattern, though SPRINT's constellation scheduling concept remains relevant.
MIT's unique contribution is lab-level ecosystem seeding: SPL alone has produced a company (Accion), a GPDM supplier (Espace), and a next-gen PI (Jia-Richards at Michigan). No other SST university has this radiating influence.
Confidence: CLICK flight confirmed (CRS-25 manifest, NASA factsheet). Lozano→Accion confirmed (company records, TechPort). Lozano→GPDM confirmed (IEPC paper, TechPort). Jia-Richards←MIT SPL confirmed (MIT SPL website). Saenz-Otero→UW confirmed (UW faculty page). SPRINT no-visible-outcome: suggestive (no follow-on found, but scheduling algorithms may be in use without attribution).