Staff of the Air Force Research Lab’s University Nanosat Program took an inaugural trip to host the first Mission Concept program, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, Florida, May 24, 2023. AFRL and NASA announced the collaboration with eight universities for the new MCP that ran from Jan. 5 to Feb. 3, 2023. Sponsored by AFRL's Space Vehicles Directorate the MCP partnered with, NASA’s CubeSat Launch initiative and chose eight universities from across the U.S. to participate in the UNP’s new Mission Concept Program. The selected universities included: Florida Institute of Technology, Florida. University of the Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands. University of South Florida, Florida. University of New Mexico, New Mexico. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Missouri. New Mexico State University, New Mexico. Columbia University, New York. Tarleton State University, Texas. The program aimed to alleviate typical high barriers to entry including full satellite development, aggressive cycles or schedules and competitive proposals, which also prepare the participants for the next UNP nanosatellite cycle in 2024. (U.S. Air Force video by Jessie Perkins and Ryan Law) More