Southwest Research Institute, which has committed funding to conduct in-space experiments using next-generation suborbital vehicles for various scientific research and public outreach, recently joined the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, an industry organization dedicated to promoting the development of commercial human spaceflight.

Unanimously approved for membership by the CSF Board of Directors, SwRI joins as an executive member, working alongside such pioneers as Scaled Composites, Mojave Spaceport, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and other commercial spaceflight developers, operators and spaceports.

Dr. Alan Stern, associate vice president of the Space Science and Engineering Division, leads the SwRI effort and chairs the Suborbital Applications Researchers Group, a CSF advisory committee dedicated to furthering the research potential of suborbital reusable launch vehicles.

"We expect tremendous advances from the newly emerging capability to put scientists in space with their experiments," says Stern. "SwRI is excited to join the CSF and play a strong role in the exciting new era of 21st century space research aboard commercial spaceflight vehicles."

"Dr. Stern has done a tremendous job in pushing forward the nascent field of commercial suborbital science. We look forward to continue working with SwRI to further CSF's goals of promoting the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursuing ever higher levels of safety, and sharing best practices and expertise throughout the industry," says Mark Sirangelo, chair of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation and chairman of Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Systems.