Fuel Florida's Space Future

AstroEdge

Join the Team

Own the Edge.

We call our students AstroEdge Operators, and they are not spectators. They are builders, strategists, and competitors.
When you join AstroEdge, you gain access to tools, mentors, and opportunities most students never see, and you earn the chance to compete on a national stage.

This is not a club.
This is a competitive proving ground.

What Is AstroEdge

AstroEdge is a workforce development platform connecting talent pipelines through modeling and simulation.

AstroEdge prepares the next generation of operators, innovators, and builders for careers in space, defense, advanced technology, and STEAM. Through guided challenges, interdisciplinary teamwork, and competition, participants move from idea to impact while developing real world skills employers demand.

AstroEdge is intentionally designed to support:

  • Interdisciplinary talent development
  • Workforce readiness and employer alignment
  • Regional, national, and global scalability
  • Education to industry pipeline integration

AstroEdge does not promise funding, employment, or commercialization outcomes. Instead, it delivers experience, exposure, and readiness, empowering participants to own their edge.

The AstroEdge Tracks

AstroEdge offers two competitive tracks designed to meet students where they are and prepare them for what comes next.

High School Track

Edge Launch

Learn. Build. Compete.

Edge Launch is Space Grove’s high school, interdisciplinary, team based program where Edge Operators move from idea to business through modeling, simulation, and national competition.

The program emphasizes curiosity, collaboration, and foundational systems thinking, while building confidence and awareness of future career pathways.

At a high level, students will:

  • Explore real world challenges in space and technology
  • Learn how teams design and evaluate solutions
  • Use introductory modeling tools to understand tradeoffs and outcomes
  • Discover how ideas become products, missions, or ventures
  • Present and compete with peer teams nationwide

Top teams are invited to participate in the AstroEdge National Championship experience at SpaceCom | Space Congress (Florida) 2027, creating early exposure to industry, higher education, and the broader space ecosystem.

Click here to become a Launch High School

College and University Track

Edge Orbit

From Concept to Competitive Venture

Edge Orbit is the college and university track of AstroEdge, designed for students ready to operate at a professional level.
Edge Orbit trains Edge Operators to move from idea to business using modeling, simulation, and competition, mirroring how real space, defense, and advanced technology ventures are built.

This is not theoretical.
This is applied, competitive, and high stakes.

Who Edge Orbit Is For

Edge Orbit is intentionally interdisciplinary and space adjacent friendly. Winning teams reflect the real workforce.

Edge Operators come from majors and pathways including:

  • Engineering, Computer Science, Modeling and Simulation
  • Business, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Operations
  • Cybersecurity, Data Science, AI
  • Policy, National Security, International Relations, Journalism and Mass Communications
  • Marketing, Communications, UX, Storytelling, Liberal Arts

Team Structure

  • Up to 30 Edge Operators per team
  • One Faculty Captain serving as coach and mentor
  • Interdisciplinary student leadership roles:
    • Team Captain
    • Technical Lead
    • Business and Strategy Lead
    • Communications and Pitch Lead
    • Operations Lead
Click here to become an Orbit College/University

The Competition

AstroEdge National Championship

Edge Orbit is a structured, challenge based experience designed to mirror how ideas become viable solutions in high stakes industries.

Participants progress through a guided journey emphasizing:

  • Problem framing and systems thinking
  • Applied modeling and simulation
  • Performance, cost, and risk evaluation
  • Translating technical solutions into viable business concepts

At a high level, teams will:

  • Explore real world challenges aligned to space, defense, and advanced technology
  • Apply systems thinking to shape solutions
  • Use modeling and simulation to evaluate outcomes
  • Prepare pitch ready ventures
  • Compete nationally through a championship experience

The journey culminates at the AstroEdge National Championship, hosted at SpaceCom | Space Congress (Florida) 2027, where top teams present live in front of industry leaders, investors, and ecosystem partners.

What Edge Operators Gain

Access & Training

  • Full access to the AstroEdge Workforce Simulation Platform (AEWSP)
  • Immersive modeling and simulation environments
  • Training in decision making under pressure, systems thinking, and team based execution

Credentials & Recognition

  • Official AstroEdge digital credential
  • Completion certificate endorsed by Space Grove
  • National finalist and champion badges where applicable

Career & Pipeline Access

  • Priority access to Space Grove internships, accelerators, and workforce partners
  • Invitations to exclusive virtual briefings and fireside chats
  • Talent visibility with industry and government partners

Competition & Stage

  • Eligibility to advance to SpaceCom | Space Congress (Florida) 2027
  • Opportunity to pitch on a national stage
  • Prizes and awards for top teams

Brand & Community

  • AstroEdge branded gear eligibility
  • Team and individual profiles on the Space Grove platform
  • Membership in the national AstroEdge network

Faculty Captain Incentives

Faculty buy in matters.

Each Faculty Captain receives:

  • Recognition as an official Edge Faculty Captain
  • Access to faculty only briefings and resources
  • Visibility with Space Grove partners
  • Priority consideration for grants, pilots, and sponsored research alignment
  • Optional stipend support, funded through sponsorships as funds are available