Space Force Association names 2026 scholarship winners

The Space Force Association awarded six students $2,500 scholarships in 2026, recognizing future Guardians and STEM students preparing for careers in the space enterprise. The winners span Cornell, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Delaware Technical Community College, Wichita State University and the University of Notre Dame.

Why it matters: - The Space Force Association is helping build the next pipeline of space professionals at a time when the U.S. Space Force needs technical talent and future officers. - Each recipient will receive a $2,500 award tied to academic excellence, leadership and commitment to American spacepower.

What happened: - The Space Force Association announced six 2026 scholarship recipients: three Guardian Scholarship winners and three Future Space Professionals Scholarship winners. - The scholarships were announced in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on Aug. 13, 2026. - The Guardian Scholarship is sponsored by the SFA Washington DC and SFA Rocket City chapters. - The Future Space Professionals Scholarship supports undergraduate STEM students who intend to enter the space professional community.

The details: - Aniket Martins, a rising senior at Cornell University, won a Guardian Scholarship. - Martins is a mechanical engineering student, Meinig Scholar and Laidlaw Scholar who is commissioning into the U.S. Space Force through AFROTC. - Martins serves as commander of i5 Space, a student-led space education group with more than 1,000 members across 65 universities. - Martins is also a Boren Scholar who studied Mandarin in Taiwan, conducts research at Cornell's Aerospace Adversary Lab on counter-UAS survivability and serves as a Junior Fellow at the Brooks Tech Policy Institute. - Jadon Pinto, an aerospace engineering student at Virginia Tech, won a Guardian Scholarship. - Pinto is pursuing an accelerated bachelor's and master's degree in the Space Engineering track while serving in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and Air Force ROTC. - Pinto is preparing to commission as a developmental engineer in the U.S. Space Force. - Pinto has interned on the B-21 Raider program at Northrop Grumman and as a flight test engineering intern with Boeing Defense. - Pinto directs structural design for the Venture launch vehicle in NASA Student Launch. - Tryston Schmitt, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, won a Guardian Scholarship. - Schmitt is a BS/MS honors student and future U.S. Space Force officer. - Schmitt has researched low-gravity fluid mechanics and plans a thesis on its relevance to orbital servicing and resilient satellite architectures. - Breanna Drummond, a first-generation college student at Delaware Technical Community College, won a Future Space Professionals Scholarship. - Drummond is pursuing an associate degree in electromechanical engineering and holds a 3.7 GPA. - Drummond plans to continue studying physics with a concentration in electrical engineering in preparation for commissioning as a U.S. Space Force officer. - Drummond has gained research experience through NASA internships and the Delaware Space Grant Consortium and previously served as commander of her Air Force JROTC unit. - Lauren Coffman, a senior biomedical engineering student at Wichita State University, won a Future Space Professionals Scholarship. - Coffman focuses on human health performance, human factors and spaceflight systems that help humans work safely in space. - Coffman has completed five NASA Pathways internships and wants to work in human spaceflight after graduation. - William Sinclair, a rising senior electrical engineering major at the University of Notre Dame, won a Future Space Professionals Scholarship. - Sinclair is focused on lowering the cost to orbit through reusable launch vehicles. - Sinclair began that work as a rocket engine intern at Blue Origin and wants to help build large-scale infrastructure in space that benefits people on Earth. - SFA's Space Education Committee selected recipients based on academic performance, professional experience and application essays. - The 2026 applicant pool came from across the country and emphasized academic excellence, leadership and commitment to the community of space professionals.

Between the lines: - The scholarship mix suggests SFA is targeting both near-term military space leaders and civilian STEM students who could feed the broader space workforce. - The winner profiles emphasize research, internships and ROTC service, signaling that SFA values practical experience alongside grades. - The program also links college training to specific Space Force and space-industry pathways, which can help make those careers feel more accessible and concrete.

What's next: - The six recipients will move forward with their studies and, in several cases, with planned commissions or careers in the U.S. Space Force and the human spaceflight sector. - SFA said it looks forward to following the recipients' contributions to American spacepower. - More information is available in the association's announcement, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and X account.