World’s only commercial space-testing facility being developed in Pittsfield – GazetteNET

Published: 3/19/2021 12:26:53 PM

The Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield will soon host the only commercial facility in the world capable of replicating the space environment on Earth to test materials and equipment for future missions.

Baker administration officials and Berkshire County legislators announced an award of $429,000 on Wednesday from the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) to support the development of specialized equipment for testing the reliability and compatibility of spacecraft components by Electro Magnetic Applications, which is located at the Innovation Center.

This award is not only exciting for EMA and the BIC, but for us as a commonwealth, because it presents a major economic opportunity to engage in the fast-growing world of commercial space travel and planetary exploration, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy said.

Electro Magnetic Applications is working to develop new methods for producing space radiation, along with devices capable of evaluating how materials and equipment stand up to an out-of-this-world environment. The companys project is also supported by the city of Pittsfield and NextFlex, a consortium focused on flexible-hybrid electronics.

Reliability in space is paramount, noted Justin McKennon, principal scientist at EMA. The technology and techniques that EMA is developing will allow for companies in a variety of sectors to understand how materials and devices will behave in the harshness of space.

Officials said the grant will help bolster the Berkshires reputation for innovation and will help establish the Berkshires as an epicenter for space materials research and testing.

Thanks to this Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative award, Pittsfield will become home to the first-of-its-kind, commercially available facility that can replicate the environment in space, Gov. Charlie Baker said.

The new facility will help advance the Commonwealths position as a leader in aerospace technology while strengthening the Berkshire regions reputation as an attractive location for innovation.

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World's only commercial space-testing facility being developed in Pittsfield - GazetteNET