Ognjen Ilic Receives NASA Early Career Faculty Award

Ognjen Ilic, Benjamin Mayhugh Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota, has been awarded the NASA Early Career Faculty Award (ECF), which recognizes exceptional early-career researchers advancing space exploration technology. This prestigious award is part of NASA's Space Technology Research Grants Program, designed to support groundbreaking projects with the potential to transform space science and technology.

In reflecting on the award, Ilic shared:

"This award enables us to explore the physics and engineering of lightsails in a comprehensive way. It moves us closer to a future where rapid, fuel-free exploration of the Solar System—and beyond—is achievable."

As part of the award, Professor Ilic will receive a $750,000, three-year grant to advance spacecraft propulsion through nanostructured photonic lightsails. Ilic's project addresses a key challenge in spaceflight—the rocket equation, which requires exponentially more fuel to increase velocity. This limitation severely impacts mission durations and makes deep space exploration impractical. For instance, NASA's Voyager probes (launched in 1977) took over 30 years to reach the outer boundary of the Solar System. Ilic's research will focus on laser-driven lightsails, using photon momentum for thrust and eliminating the need for onboard fuel, opening the door to more efficient and feasible deep space missions.

Professor Ilic will lead a multidisciplinary team of graduate students and postdocs in advancing this innovative technology, which could dramatically reduce mission durations and make rapid space exploration a reality.