NMSU gets NASA grant for space technology

New Mexico State University announced Tuesday it has been selected to receive a NASA Early Stage Innovations grant of up to $650,000 to conduct space technology research.

NMSU, in a news release, said its proposal was one of 14 university-led research proposals chosen to receive a NASA’s Space Technology Research Grants program for up to three years.

Krishna Kota, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, will lead a team doing fundamental research to develop compact, high performance heat exchanger technology for cryocoolers intended for long duration space missions.

Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Sarada Kuravi and Professor Vimal Chaitanya are co-principal investigators on the project, NMSU said.

“We are very pleased and proud of Dr. Kota and his team’s accomplishment in their work on what NASA deems ‘game-changing space technology’,” said College of Engineering Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi.

Kota said he was excited to receive the grant that provides an opportunity to collaborate with NASA and industry.