In 2001, the ADSC at NPS was established by three parties:

• the U.S. Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command (currently renamed the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC));
• the U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG); and
• the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) these three parties signed back then set up a cooperative working relationship to identify and develop open technology areas and novel approaches/systems with maximum potential of providing critical improvements and new capabilities to Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems (ADS). In 2009 the MoU was renewed for another three years again. Projects include (but are not limited to):

• circular parachute and parafoil modeling;
• system’s parameter identification;
• guidance, navigation and control algorithms design;
• computer, hardware-in-the-loop and field testing;
• development of the standalone graphical user interfaces to support different YPG missions;
• fusion of EO and IR sensor streams for real-time non-contrast feature detection;
• modeling and development of fixed- and rotary-wing unmanned platforms for reconnaissance and surveillance missions;
• investigation of performance of an integrated INS/GPS system of a specific vehicle in a controlled and repeatable environment (emulating different settings of the GPS constellation, INS sensors error, and vehicle dynamics);
• developing a system for autonomous tracking of a descending ADS;
• ADS trajectory reconstruction/analysis based on visual data provided by multiple stationary cameras
• ADS trajectory reconstruction/analysis based on data provided by onboard sensors;
• usage of powered and unpowered ADS in littoral operations;
• multiple ADS networking;
• collaborative control of multiple ADS;
• integration of ADS with UAVs and UGSs for joint covert missions; and
• others.

The success of these projects was only possible because of the hard work of students and faculty of several universities, backed by YPG and NSRDEC.