{
  "id": 16941508,
  "title": "NASA University Challenge Ignites Trajectory of Drone Entrepreneur",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/nasa-university-challenge-ignites-trajectory-of-drone-entrepreneur",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-28T18:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NASA Science",
    "slug": "nasa-science",
    "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/nasa-challenge-drone-entrepreneur/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2024, AG3 Labs, a company specializing in military training drones, was founded by a group of co-founders who shared a common experience with NASA's University Student Research Challenge (USRC). Gavin Gardner, one of the co-founders, was a Michigan State University engineering student when he participated in NASA's USRC five years ago. His participation in the USRC provided him with essential skills in both engineering and entrepreneurship, which he and his team found crucial in navigating the financial and promotional aspects of their work.\n\nGardner's journey began with a middle school trip to Space Camp, which sparked his interest in engineering. This passion was shared with his brother Gryson, who also began tinkering with various machinery, including drones, in their Michigan garage. Gardner's engineering skills were further honed while studying at Michigan State, where he joined a drone-focused extracurricular group.\n\nIn 2021, Gardner received a USRC grant from NASA for an activity called Aerial Intra-city Delivery Electric Drones (AIDED). The team designed a cargo-carrying drone that could hitchhike a ride on a city bus, charge its batteries while riding along, and then take off for the final leg of the delivery. Although they decided against pursuing a commercial venture, this project demonstrated their technical prowess and confidence, leading to a second USRC award in 2023 for the Laser Energized Aerial Drone System (LEADS) project.\n\nThe LEADS project focused on using a laser to transfer power directly to a drone in flight, which led to Gardner's network of contacts within the drone community expanding to include NASA personnel at the Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. This network provided him with internship opportunities while he was pursuing his graduate studies.",
  "summary": "Five years ago, Gavin Gardner was a Michigan State University engineering student researching next-generation drone technology as part of a NASA grant. Garder expected the research to be demanding – but he was surprised that navigating the financial side of the work presented an even greater challenge. Although Gardner was used to leading fellow students […] The post NASA University Challenge…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}