ORGANIZATION
The Inland Northwest Space Alliance is a private, non-profit organization created in 2003 with the support of the University of Montana. INSA’s mission is to provide advocacy for space exploration and research and to encourage space and aerospace development in the inland northwest. INSA is dedicated to broadening participation in space-related research and commercial technologies with space applications. This includes targeting commercial technology applications that can support historically underserved geographic areas and communities.

PARTNERS
INSA currently has strong collaborative relationships with several NASA organizations and is working to expand its presence within the Administration as a whole. INSA has strategic alliance and teaming agreements in place with numerous commercial companies to include small and large entities within various technology sectors. The technical areas of these partnerships include; launch vehicles, satellite-based communications and sensors, advanced manufacturing, design engineering, biomedical research, and data management.

RESOURCES
INSA currently provides technical and managerial resources in support of agreements and contracts with NASA and other collaborative partners. INSA also has several key equipment and facility resources which support its mission of providing capability to perform research for space related technology areas. These equipment resources include mobile communication link capabilities designed for analog research and information links through satellite communications. The facility resources include classrooms, portable presentations and science experiments, extensive laboratory and office. INSA also has the internal management, technical, and contracting infrastructure to provide just-in-time resources from its myriad of partners on a task order basis.

CAPABILITIES

Technology Development: INSA identifies, develops, and demonstrates terrestrial applications of space and aerospace science and engineering research, including fabrication, integration, and testing. Specific technology areas include analog-based research, GeneSat 1payload and flight integration, biomedical monitoring applications transition from NASA to commercialization, earth and space based communication links, and airborne sensor applications.

Program Integration: INSA provides integration support for a full range of programs to include links for satellite, airborne, and ground-based/earth-based data transmission and reception, space exploration flight and payload integration, target identification and ground truthing for free flyers, and resource integration from multiple sources.

Education, Training, and Public Outreach: Together with its partners, INSA develops and delivers quality education, training, and public outreach programs in support of new technology applications. INSA utilizes its on-site classroom facilities; including a distance learning center, mobile satellite trailer, and state-of-the-art science curriculum and technology to deliver these programs.