Oklahoma State University and partners — including Tulsa Innovation Labs and the Osage Nation — have celebrated a ribbon-cutting at the LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility at OSU-Tulsa’s Helmerich Research Center (HRC).

The LaunchPad Center will house dedicated resources to promote the development of new technologies in advanced air mobility, including staff to solicit projects from industry, engineers and researchers to build new products, and supporting services to help commercialize technologies and grow new companies.

Local, tribal, state and national leaders — including representatives from the Department of Defense, Tinker Air Force Base, the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Economic Development Administration — were on hand for the event, which culminated in an unmanned aerial systems demonstration.

Oklahoma aerospace and aviation innovation

“A key pillar of Oklahoma State University’s strategy is leading in aerospace and aviation innovation, but we know our success is shared success,” OSU President Kayse Shrum said. “This is why we are so excited about our strategic partnerships with NASA, Tulsa Innovation Labs, and Osage LLC, an Osage Nation enterprise. Additionally, the U.S. Economic Development Administration recognizes that taking Oklahoma’s aerospace and aviation to the next level has national benefits, and we appreciate the agency’s critical support.”

The LaunchPad Center will support the development and deployment of emerging aviation technologies, including unmanned aerial systems with uses ranging from critical infrastructure inspection and agricultural monitoring to emergency response and last-mile delivery. Given Tulsa’s strategic position as an urban hub in a rural region, the LaunchPad Center will also focus on developing new air transportation systems to safely and sustainably move people and goods in places currently underserved by aviation, including rural and tribal communities.

“Aviation is entering its third ‘golden age’ and the LaunchPad Center for Advanced Air Mobility is on the cusp of translating research into significant industry advancements,” said Dr. Jamey Jacob, executive director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE), director of the Counter-UAS Center of Excellence and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at OSU.

“OAIRE and the creation of the LaunchPad Center under the OAIRE umbrella will bridge the gap between early stage research and applied technology, deploying developments to improve industry, the economy and to move the research tied to aviation and space forward.”Subscribe to the FINN weekly newsletter