Microgravity Enterprises, Inc. (MEI) and the California Space Authority (CSA) today announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help provide access to space for educational payloads for California students grades K-12.

“Free flights for education are the foundation of our ACCESS for Education Program,” said Jeff Ganley, Chief Operating Officer and Director, ACCESS for Education program, MEI. “Our goal is to get youth interested in space again and excited about what can be done there. We know that CSA has similar goals in wanting to help children.”

MEI’s ACCESS for Education program is at the heart of the company’s vision. MEI will donate payload space on every commercial launch for the purpose of conducting research and executing experiments that are aimed at advancing the commercialization of space. Payload space will be dedicated to a full spectrum of activities ranging from K-12 inspirational experiments to next-generation commercial space demonstration payloads.

Last month MEI flew the RockSat III payload for the University of Colorado at Boulder and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. RockSat III was designed and built entirely by students at the University. The payload measured cosmic rays and microwave radiation along with pressure, temperature, and accelerations during the space flight.

“CSA and MEI seek to inspire the next generation in using scientific inquiry to understand the wonders of the universe, and to pursue career opportunities associated with space enterprise,” said The Honorable Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. “We are excited to work with MEI and hope that we can coordinate activities that benefit the youth in our state.”

The California Space Authority is a statewide non-profit corporation focused upon retaining and growing space enterprise in California as well as in the United States. Space enterprise includes industry, academia, government, and the workforce. The CSA is the unified voice of the space enterprise community in California on policy, regulatory, and legislative issues affecting its members and stakeholders. By monitoring events in government and serving as a space enterprise forum, the CSA works to advance space enterprise interests in California.

MEI is a small, privately held company founded on one principle: to commercialize space and make it a part of everyday life. MEI is headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and currently uses Spaceport America, in Upham, NM, to fly the company’s products and educational payloads to space and back.