Photo: Hannah Lopez
UTRGV is one of the very few universities who have a facility like STARGATE. Regional Director of the US Department of Commerce for the Economic Development Administration Jorge Ayala explains why this project was chosen to be funded by the EDA.
[su_quote]“You tell us, ‘This is what we want to do for our community,’ and then we evaluate that and see if there is a partnership and investment in that dream and we are very happy to be a part of the realization.”
-Jorge Ayala, Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Economic Development Administration[/su_quote]
The Spacecraft Tracking and Astronomical Research into Gigahertz Astrophysical Transient Emission facility is measured at 2.3 acres at a cost of 2.2 million dollars.
UTRGV Radio News spoke with Ph.D Candidate at the UTRGV Center for Advanced Radio Astronomy Louis Dartez and he explains one of the reasons behind SpaceX’s interest in STARGATE.
[su_quote]”They hadn’t realized that we were using some of the same techniques for controlling our own radio telescopes that they use on the Falcon 9 engines, and so it was at that point where they realized that there are synergies between what we do and what Space X was working on at that time.”
-Louis Dartez, Ph.D Candidate at the UTRGV Center for Advanced Radio Astronomy[/su_quote]
The creator of the STARGATE project, associate professor for astronomy and physics, Dr. Fredrick Jenet, explains his long term goal for STARGATE.
[su_quote]”STARGATE is this one piece that I consider the ecosystem, which is going to accomplish this whole region and hopefully take advantage of our neighbors to the north.”
-Fredrick Jenet, Associate professor for astronomy and physics[/su_quote]
City of Brownsville Mayor Tony Martinez stated that if it wasn’t for the arrival of SpaceX to Brownsville, STARGATE funding would not have been possible.
