University of Colorado Space Weather Technology, Research, and Education Center (SWx TREC): An academic center of excellence to accelerate research to operations and operations to research transitions

The University of Colorado at Boulder Space Weather Technology Research and Education Center (SWx TREC) is a University Chancellor's Grand Challenge Initiative forming a campus-wide center for research, mission and technology development, and educational initiatives in the space weather enterprise. SWx TREC offers a unique open academic environment with contributions not only from the departments of Astrophysics and Planetary Sciences, Aerospace Engineering Sciences, and Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, but from campus institutes such as the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) and the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) as well. In addition, SWx TREC serves as a "Front Range" space weather collaboration engine, reaching out to local government (NOAA/SWPC, USAF/SpaceCommand) and industry (Ball Aerospace, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Google) elements, commercial space weather providers such as Astra LLC and Space Environment Technologies (SET), and local FFRDCs such as the National Solar Observatory (NSO), NCAR's High Altitude Observatory (HAO), the Southwest Research Institute (SWRI), and Northwest Research Associates (NWRA) to pursue opportunities to advance space weather forecasting through innovative research. We discuss how SWx TREC is working with these partners to develop new satellite drag models for Civil Space Traffic Management (STM) applications, a Space Weather Data Portal to ease multi-instrument data display and analysis, and a Space Weather Testbed that will allow academic and commercial developers to test new models and forecasting tools in a cloud-based prototyping facility with student and professional forecaster engagement. SWx TREC is also developing two innovative mission concepts to fill major gaps in the current space weather observing system: the Solar Polar Observing Constellation (SPOC) with Ball Aerospace, and the Operational Radiation Belts (ORB) mission for the Air Force.