Launch Texas is a jointly-led program in the Cockrell School of Engineering by the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics and the Texas Innovation Center. The program integrates world-class technical and entrepreneurial education, fundamental and applied space research and outreach in a collaborative environment, with a focus on creating, fostering and bringing awareness to the space technology ecosystem in Austin.
Launch Texas collaborates closely with the Austin startup ecosystem, corporate partners, alumni and many others to develop deep connections between UT and the community. The program has three aspirational components:
Education
Producing a new class of space-tech entrepreneurs
The new Space Tech Graduate Specialization for master’s and doctoral students is comprised of topics in aerospace tech with a solid foundation in business and entrepreneurship. Students get hands-on practice in business formation and engagement with successful space tech entrepreneurs. The program recruits mission-driven student entrepreneurs from across UT, the state, nation and world.
Exploration
Developing and advancing novel space technologies
Our vision is to raise new funding to provide seed grants to UT’s aerospace engineering research community— one of the most accomplished and respected in the world — to conduct more translatable research that will result in commercialization and the creation of startups to drive new innovations.
Enterprise
Powering the world’s space startup ecosystem
Through the Texas Innovation Center, UT has a built-in space tech venture studio that forms and develops companies to get them off the ground. Launch Texas programming will create new opportunities for participating students and researchers to receive intensive training, mentoring, and networking.
Contact Us
For general questions and to learn more about Launch Texas, contact the Texas Innovation Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To learn more about the Space Tech Graduate Specialization, contact Professor Noel Clemens at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To learn more about how to support or partner with Launch Texas, contact Associate Director of Development Maggie Scott at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Launch Texas Faculty Experts
Maruthi Akella
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics; Orbital Mechanics
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Srinivas Bettadpur
Research Areas: Orbital Mechanics
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Jingyi "Ann" Chen
Research Areas: Orbital Mechanics
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John-Paul Clarke
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics
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Noel Clemens
Research Areas: Aerothermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
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David Fridovich-Keil
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics
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Todd Humphreys
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics; Orbital Mechanics
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Moriba Jah
Research Areas: Orbital Mechanics
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Brandon Jones
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics; Orbital Mechanics
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Lori Magruder
Research Areas: Orbital Mechanics
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Luis Sentis
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics
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Ufuk Topcu
Research Areas: Controls, Autonomy and Robotics
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Philip Varghese
Research Areas: Aerothermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
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Karen Willcox
Research Areas: Computational Engineering
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Past Graduate Specialization Cohorts
Launch Texas – Graduate Specialization Cohort #2 (Fall 2023)
Kok Yong Ang
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Aaron Berkhoff
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Raymond Cheng
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Mark Forese
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Abhishek Ghosh
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Ben Kooper
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Maggie Lea
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Benjamin Miller
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Eric Rasmussen
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Emerson Shoichet-Bartus
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Vrushabh Zinage
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Launch Texas – Graduate Specialization Cohort #1 (Fall 2022)
Aanu Adeloye
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Yoo-Jin Ahn
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Benjamin Diaz Villa
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Dillon T. Ellender
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
John Stuart Murray
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Alex Nettekoven
Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
Hailey Nichols
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Ruairi J Oconnor
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
Apoorva Tejaswi Karra
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
The University of Texas at Austin
