The DoD announced today a three-year, $4.5 million research award to the Georgia Institute of Technology to advance hypersonics technology, with a focus on research into machine learning algorithms that can be employed for hypersonic systems. The goal of the research is to leverage high-fidelity hypersonic data and simulations to develop efficient models that can improve autonomous capabilities for hypersonics systems.

The proposed research, sponsored by the Joint Hypersonic Transition Office (JHTO) through the University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (UCAH), will be undertaken by a team of machine learning experts with hypersonics experience. Georgia Tech will lead a team from, Sandia National Labs, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the University of Washington, the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and industry partner Lockheed Martin.

One of the main objectives of the UCAH and JHTO is workforce development. Ten graduate students and six undergraduate students will participate in this project, supplementing their skill set with experience developing hypersonic capabilities. As a Hispanic-serving institution, UTSA’s participation in this project will contribute towards diversifying the hypersonics workforce.