E-Mail The Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology II (CRESST II), a partnership between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and four universities--led by researchers at the University of Maryland, College Park's (UMD) Department of Astronomy--has received an extension of its cooperative agreement through March 2027 and been funded in the amount of $178 million. The extension will enable the center to continue current collaborations and expand on the partnership's success. CRESST was created in 2006 with a 10-year cooperative agreement, and CRESST II began in 2017 with a five-year cooperative agreement of $87.5 million. CRESST II's goal was to continue to facilitate collaborations between researchers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and space scientists from CRESST II partner institutions. Led by UMD, CRESST II partner institutions include the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC); the Catholic University of America, Howard University and the Southeastern Universities Research Association (SURA).