North Dakota is positioning itself as a growing hub for space and aeronautics, U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) said during the April 24 Space Grant Consortium’s affiliates meeting, where he highlighted a proposed $250 million Space Operations Center and a series of defense-focused initiatives tied to Grand Forks Air Force Base.
“The future security of our nation depends on having a new generation of professionals with the skills and knowledge needed to develop the technologies that will give us the edge in space, drones and hypersonic missiles,” Sen. Hoeven said at the event. “We are doing that work right here in North Dakota, and the proposal to bring a $250 million Space Operations Center to Grand Forks is the latest testament to the effectiveness of the high-tech ecosystem that we’ve worked to build.”
During his speech, Sen. Hoeven outlined how the state is leveraging its expertise to play a larger role in national defense, particularly in space operations, drone technology, and hypersonic testing.
For instance, the lawmaker said he recently spoke with Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman about the proposed project at Grand Forks Air Force Base, which would bring new infrastructure, personnel, and classified capabilities to the region.
Plans call for a more than 180,000-square-foot facility designed as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, supporting highly classified missions for both the U.S. Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office, including missile warning, missile tracking, and space-based communications.
The center would house more than 100 personnel across two to three fully staffed squadrons. It would also build on an existing low-Earth orbit satellite mission at the base, which Sen. Hoeven helped fund and establish, and which he said will serve as the backbone of U.S. military communications.
In addition to space operations, Sen. Hoeven pointed to expanding work in drone and counter-drone technologies.
Recently, he marked the launch of the Point Defense Battle Lab at Grand Forks, a facility aimed at testing systems to defend against small unmanned aircraft threats.
The effort complements broader initiatives in the state, including Project ULTRA, which focuses on developing cost-effective counter-drone measures, and the upcoming Technology Readiness Experimentation (T-REX) event scheduled for August at Camp Grafton.
North Dakota is also involved in hypersonic missile testing through the SkyRange program at GrandSKY, further reinforcing the state’s role in advanced defense research, added the senator.
Sen. Hoeven credited education programs, including the Space Grant Consortium, with helping to build that ecosystem. The program provides scholarships and fellowships for students and faculty pursuing research in space and aeronautics, while also supporting hands-on opportunities such as NASA internships.
“Our research institutions, like UND, have been central to these efforts,” Sen. Hoeven said, noting that programs like Space Grant give students “the firsthand experience that will enable them to pursue careers in these high-tech fields.”
North Dakota receives nearly $1 million annually through the program, which supports internships, research, and STEM competitions. Last year, 11 students from the state participated in internships at NASA research centers across the country.
Sen. Hoeven also noted that continued federal support for such programs remains a priority as he works through the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to strengthen partnerships between universities, private industry, military operations, and research institutions in the state.