National Aeronautics and Space Administration

FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE

Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2020
2

FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES MISSION

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program 

facilitates rapid demonstration of promising 

technologies for space exploration, discovery, 

and the expansion of space commerce through 

suborbital testing with industry flight providers. 

The program matures capabilities needed for 

NASA missions and commercial applications 

while strategically investing in the growth of the 

U.S. commercial spaceflight industry. These 

flight tests take technologies from groundbased laboratories into relevant environments 

to increase technology readiness and validate 

feasibility while reducing the costs and technical 

risks of future missions. 

Awards and agreements for flight tests are 

open to researchers from industry, academia, 

non-profit research institutes, and government 

organizations. These investments help advance 

technologies of interest to NASA while supporting 

commercial flight providers and expanding 

space-based applications and commerce.

FY2020 QUICK LOOK

Payloads tested in flight 46

Successful flights 16

Commercial flight providers 7 that flew in FY2020

Technologies selected for 

 future flight tests 31

CONTENTS

Flight Opportunities Mission	 1

Flight Highlights 2

Technology Transitions	 	 6

Technologies Tested in FY2020	 	 10

Flight Providers	 12

New Technology Selections 	 14

NASA Program Collaborations	 18

Technology Portfolio 22

A DECADE OF FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Total	flights:		 198

	 Payloads	tested:	 694

	 Technologies	supported:		 271

*As of the end of fiscal year 2020.

1

Credits: NASA
2 3

FLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

By supporting the testing 

of promising space 

innovations aboard 

commercial suborbital 

flight vehicles, the Flight 

Opportunities program 

has a significant impact on 

advancing technologies 

that address NASA 

mission goals. In fiscal 

year 2020 (FY2020), some 

technologies flew for the 

first time, while others 

flew evolved versions and 

new designs informed by 

lessons learned on 

previous flights. 

SUPPORTING FASTER, CHEAPER

SMALL LAUNCH CAPABILITIES

In November 2019, UP Aerospace 

launched its SpaceLoft rocketpowered system on a flight funded 

by the company’s NASA Tipping 

Point award, with support from 

Flight Opportunities. Among the 

technologies aboard was the 

Affordable Vehicle Avionics (AVA) 

project from NASA’s Ames Research 

Center, a low-cost flight computer 

designed specifically for dedicated 

small launch vehicles – rockets that 

would send individual payloads into 

orbit on short notice and at lower cost 

than with currently available launch 

vehicles. Ames researchers applied 

learning from two previous SpaceLoft 

launches facilitated by Flight 

Opportunities, this time testing AVA’s 

ability to provide the “brains” for 

UP Aerospace’s own guidance and 

control system. This milestone is also 

aiding Spyder Orbital – a four-stage 

solid rocket motor vehicle that UP 

Aerospace is developing specifically 

for dedicated small payload launches.

The SpaceLoft mission also 

included tests of four other 

Flight Opportunities–supported 

technologies, all of which aim to 

improve small launch capabilities. 

They included an autonomous 

flight termination system from 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, 

a micro-avionics system from 

Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, 

a transceiver prototype from the 

Federal Aviation Administration, 

and a Global Navigation Satellite 

System receiver from Qascom. 

The SpaceLoft 14 

rocket launches from 

Spaceport America 

in New Mexico on 

November 22, 2019, 

with several Flight 

Opportunities-supported 

technologies aboard, 

including the first fully 

integrated test of AVA 

with UP Aerospace’s 

guidance and control 

system. Credits: UP 

Aerospace

ADVANCING A MINIATURE SOLAR

OBSERVATORY AT THE EDGE OF SPACE

SwRI’s SSIPP is prepared for launch on a World View balloon in November 

2019. The low-cost, reusable observatory aims to break down barriers to 

studying the Sun from outside the effects of Earth’s atmosphere. 

Credits: SwRI

In November 2019, a World View high-altitude balloon 

flight facilitated demonstration of the Solar Instrument 

Pointing Platform (SSIPP) from Southwest Research 

Institute (SwRI). The flight enabled researchers to 

collect 75 minutes of solar images and prove the 

concept of providing a flexible infrastructure similar 

to that of a ground-based solar observatory but in the 

near-space environment. The flight helped advance 

SwRI’s goal of supporting the development of a range 

of new near-space instruments at relatively low cost, 

allowing scientists to experiment and develop new 

technologies without designing a custom observatory.

DEMONSTRATING RAPID

TESTING AND REFLIGHT

A lightweight spacecraft boom for deploying solar arrays and solar sails from 

North Carolina State University is tested on the G-FORCE ONE parabolic flight 

in November 2019. Credits: North Carolina State University

Zero Gravity Corporation conducted eight parabolic 

flights on its modified passenger airplane, G-FORCE 

ONE, in November 2019, enabling multiple flight tests 

of 10 technologies supported by Flight Opportunities. 

Taking place over the course of several days, the 

successive flights enabled researcher teams to make 

adjustments between flights as needed based on 

how their payloads performed in the brief intervals of 

microgravity encountered during each parabola. 
4 5

FLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

STUDYING BIOLOGICAL

IMPACTS OF GRAVITY

TRANSITIONS

Co-investigator Anna-Lisa Paul poses with a 

University of Florida technology designed to study 

plant responses to transitions in gravity levels. 

Credits: University of Florida

In December 2019, eight technologies 

were tested aboard Blue Origin’s 

New Shepard rocket-based system, 

including an experiment from the 

University of Florida in Gainesville to 

explore what happens to the genes 

of biological organisms as they 

travel from Earth to space. The flight 

added to previously acquired data 

about how plants adapt to space and 

offered researchers the first clues 

about how those adaptations happen 

during transitions between gravity 

levels – learning essential to our 

understanding of the impact of space 

travel on biological organisms. 

CONVERTING 

SPACE TRASH TO

USEFUL GAS

Kennedy’s OSCAR payload is ready for flight 

testing in December 2019. The technology is one 

of many tested in FY2020 that aims to address 

the challenges of long-duration human space 

exploration. Credits: NASA

Also aboard the December 2019 

Blue Origin New Shepard flight 

was the Orbital Syngas Commodity 

Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR), 

a system from NASA’s Kennedy 

Space Center designed to convert 

space waste into valuable gases. 

The technology has the potential 

to address both waste and powergeneration challenges associated 

with long-duration space exploration. 

DETECTING SEISMIC

ACTIVITY ON OTHER

PLANETS

Instruments that may help advance infrasound 

investigations on Venus and other planets are 

launched on a Raven Aerostar high-altitude 

balloon in July 2020. Credits: Sandia National 

Laboratories

Aeroseismometers from Sandia 

National Laboratories and NASA’s 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) were 

flight tested on high-altitude balloons 

from Raven Aerostar in July 2020. 

Data from the flight tests are helping 

scientists advance the state of the 

art for potential future infrasound 

investigations on Venus and other 

planets. Such studies could reveal 

whether these planets exhibit seismic 

shifts similar to our own earthquakes 

and may uncover valuable information 

about the planets’ interior structures.

ADVANCING NAVIGATION TECHNOLOGY FOR NASA’S HUMAN LANDING SYSTEM

In September 2020, Psionic tested its commercial version 

of navigation Doppler lidar (NDL) technology on Masten 

Space Systems’ Xodiac – a rocket-powered vertical takeoff 

and vertical landing (VTVL) vehicle that simulates some of 

the maneuvers of a lunar lander. Designed for precision 

landing in a very tightly defined area, NDL uses laser 

beams to provide information about the lander’s velocity 

and distance relative to the ground. Originally developed 

at NASA’s Langley Research Center, the technology was 

licensed by Psionic in 2016 for both space and terrestrial 

applications. The flight test added to data collected on 

previous VTVL testing of the technology in 2017, advancing 

Psionic’s goal of producing flight-ready NDL units that 

could be used by companies on contract under NASA’s 

Human Landing System Program. 

Psionic’s NDL payload is mounted to Masten’s Xodiac in preparation for 

flight testing. The technology is one among many entry, descent, and landing 

innovations being advanced by NASA for lunar missions. Credits: Psionic

RAPIDLY VETTING SPACE-BASED SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES

In September 2020, researchers from The Aerospace 

Corporation continued their testing of a method to rapidly 

calibrate space solar cells with flights on high-altitude 

balloons from AM0CAL. The testing added to data 

collected on two 2019 flight campaigns. The technology 

aims to facilitate fast and inexpensive preliminary data 

collection for newly developed solar cells. This would make 

it much faster and cheaper to determine the optimal solar 

technologies for further testing in orbit, enable delivery of 

data to spacecraft solar array designers, and ultimately 

help to power missions to the Moon and Mars.

Researchers from The Aerospace Corporation and flight provider AM0CAL 

launch a space-based solar cell calibration payload from a high-altitude 

balloon in California’s Mojave Desert in September 2020. Credits: AM0CAL
6 7

TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONS

As technologies are 

matured through suborbital 

flight tests, they climb 

the technology readiness 

ladder, often transitioning 

to orbital testing 

opportunities or inclusion 

in NASA missions. In 

FY2020, several Flight 

Opportunities-supported 

technologies realized 

such success, including 

those bound for the 

Moon and beyond. 

COMMERCIAL LUNAR PAYLOAD

SERVICES SELECTIONS 

In FY2020, NASA selected technologies from the Flight Opportunities portfolio 

for upcoming lunar missions – a significant achievement that highlights the 

culmination of the program’s iterative flight testing to advance NASA goals. 

These innovations will be part of future NASA Commercial Lunar Payload 

Services (CLPS) flights in support of NASA’s Artemis program. 

Navigation Doppler Lidar

NASA’S LANGLEY RESEARCH CENTER 

In January 2020, NASA selected 

Langley’s navigation Doppler lidar 

(NDL) technology as a payload on 

two future CLPS missions. Tested 

on Flight Opportunities-facilitated 

flights with Masten Space Systems 

in 2017, the innovation provides 

precise velocity and range sensing 

during descent and landing for tightly 

controlled navigation and touchdown 

on the Moon. The two CLPS flights 

will test the technology further in 

advance of potential use on a 

crewed lunar mission.

“These flights, along with a 

10-year period of technology 

development, have been 

instrumental in making the 

NDL technology available 

to commercial lunar landers 

for future NASA missions.”

— Farzin Amzajerdian, principal 

investigator for NDL, NASA’s Langley 

Research Center

Langley’s NDL uses 

lasers that bounce off 

the ground and back 

to the instrument, 

providing velocity and 

range information upon 

approach for landing 

on the Moon. Credits: 

NASA/David C. Bowman

Autolanding System

ASTROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY 

In June 2020, NASA announced the selection of 

Astrobotic to deliver the agency’s Volatiles Investigating 

Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon’s South 

Pole in late 2023. Astrobotic will deliver the rover on the 

company’s Griffin lander using a lidar-based, hazard 

detection autolanding system matured with support from 

Flight Opportunities. The water-seeking mobile VIPER 

robot will help pave the way for crewed missions to 

the lunar surface beginning in 2024, advancing toward 

NASA’s goal of long-term human presence on the Moon.

Astrobotic’s lunar lander (seen here at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center 

in May 2019) will deliver NASA’s VIPER to the Moon as part of the CLPS 

initiative. Credits: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

Radio Frequency Mass Gauge

NASA’S GLENN RESEARCH CENTER 

This propellant-quantity gauging technique accurately 

determines the amount of cryogenic propellant 

in a tank while in low gravity or under maneuver 

conditions where sloshing is an issue. Thanks in part 

to flight testing facilitated by Flight Opportunities, the 

technology has been transferred to Intuitive Machines 

for integration on the company’s CLPS lander vehicle 

with a lunar mission scheduled for 2021. The effort is 

a collaboration between NASA’s Space Technology 

Mission Directorate and Science Mission Directorate. 

A lunar lander from Intuitive Machines (seen here at NASA’s Goddard Space 

Flight Center in May 2019) will carry a Flight Opportunities-supported 

propellant gauging technology as part of its lunar mission for NASA’s Artemis 

program. Credits: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani 
8 9

TECHNOLOGY TRANSITIONS

OTHER MISSIONS AND COLLABORATIVE EXPERIMENTS

Several technologies matured through Flight Opportunities transitioned to additional testing, exploration missions, and 

industry uses beyond the program, including work with other government agencies, NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, and more. 

Recent highlights of these types of infusions include the following. 

Lander Vision System for Mars Perseverance Rover

NASA’S JET PROPULSION LABORATORY

The Lander Vision System (LVS) is a terrain-relative 

navigation (TRN)-based system that photographs the 

terrain beneath a descending spacecraft and matches it 

with onboard maps to determine vehicle location. Thanks 

in part to testing on Masten Space Systems vehicles 

supported by Flight Opportunities, the technology was 

infused into NASA’s Mars 2020 mission and the technology 

was launched on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover on 

July 30, 2020. It will aid the rover’s landing and navigation 

when it reaches the Red Planet in February 2021.

The Lander Vision System on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is based on terrain-relative navigation, a technique 

matured in part through flight tests facilitated by Flight Opportunities. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Autonomous Flight Termination System

NASA’S KENNEDY SPACE CENTER 

The Autonomous Flight Termination 

System (AFTS) allows a rocket to 

independently determine if it is 

off course and, if necessary, selfdestruct. Thanks in part to testing on 

UP Aerospace’s SpaceLoft rocketbased system with support from 

Flight Opportunities, AFTS has been 

transferred to at least 35 recipients, 

including other government agencies 

and industry partners Rocket Lab 

and SpaceX. NASA is collaborating 

with the Italian Space Agency to 

investigate interoperability between 

the system’s GPS and the European 

Space Agency’s Galileo constellation, 

which would increase signal coverage 

and improve performance. The 

technology is also being considered 

for a Commercial Lunar Payload 

Services (CLPS) lunar lander mission 

and for use on the Lunar Gateway. 

In FY2020, progress was made on 

integrating the system for upcoming 

Rocket Lab launches.

“AFTS is not only an important 

endeavor for NASA to make 

launch operations safer and 

more efficient from a time 

and cost perspective, but 

through the transfer of this 

enabling technology, it also 

has a multiplier effect across 

the entire space industry.” 

— Shawn Quinn, Director of Engineering, 

NASA’s Kennedy Space Center

CLPS VEHICLE

PROVIDERS

Four companies building landers 

as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative 

leveraged Flight Opportunitiessupported suborbital flights 

to test technologies that are 

incorporated into their vehicles: 

l Astrobotic Technology

l Blue Origin

l Draper

l Masten Space Systems

ARTEMIS HUMAN 

LANDING SYSTEM 

DEVELOPERS

Two of the three teams 

selected to develop human 

landing systems for NASA’s 

Artemis program include 

flight providers or companies 

that tested technologies 

through flights supported 

by Flight Opportunities: 

l Blue Origin

l Draper

l Dynetics
10 11

TECHNOLOGIES TESTED IN FY2020

Flight Date Flight Provider Flight Vehicle Principal

Investigator Organization Technology Name

November 2019 World View Tycho-20 Craig DeForest Southwest Research Institute - Boulder T0085: Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Solar Instrument Pointing Platform

November 2019 Zero-G G-Force One Jacob Chung University of Florida - Gainesville T0189: Demonstration of Optimal Chilldown Methods for Cryogenic Propellant Tanks in Reduced Gravity

Mark Pankow North Carolina State University T0205: Lightweight Strain-Energy Deployed Spacecraft Booms

Steven Collicott Purdue University T0206: Small-sat Propellant Management Technology

David Miles University of Iowa - Iowa City T0207: CubeSat Articulated Boom Option Optimization in Microgravity (CABOOM)

Kevin Crosby Carthage College T0218: Magneto-Active Slosh Control System for Spacecraft and Launch Vehicles

November 2019 Zero-G G-Force One Brandon Farmer Nexolve Corporation T0203: LISA-T Microgravity Deployment Demonstration

Jamal Yagoobi Worcester Polytechnic Institute T0208: Investigation of Gravity Effects on Electrically Driven Liquid Film Boiling: A Microgravity Flight Campaign in Preparation of ISS Flight Experiment

Michael Menze University of Louisville T0209: Evaluation of Preserved Blood for Transfusion Therapy in Reduced Gravity

Chung-Lung Chen University of Missouri - Columbia T0211: Electrowetting Enhanced Dropwise Condensation in the Zero-g Environment

Konstantinos Sierros West Virginia University T0212: 3D Printing of Hierarchical Foams in Microgravity

November 2019 UP Aerospace SpaceLoft Lisa Valencia NASA’s Kennedy Space Center T0165: Autonomous Flight Termination System (AFTS)

Jeffrey Kwong Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems T0200: Micro-Avionics Multi-Purpose Platform (MicroAMPP)

Nick Demidovich Federal Aviation Administration Office of 

Commercial Space Transportation T0223: Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B)

Oscar Pozzobon Qascom T0246: GPS/Galileo Receiver for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (GARHEO)

Arwen Dave NASA’s Ames Research Center T0270: Affordable Vehicle Avionics (AVA)

Jerry Larson UP Aerospace T0271: Spyder: Critical Technology Demonstration Tests 

December 2019 Blue Origin New Shepard Sean Casey Silicon Valley Space Center T0023: Measurement of the Atmospheric Background in the Mesosphere

Josh Colwell University of Central Florida T0052: Collection of Regolith Experiment (CORE) on a Commercial Suborbital Vehicle

Rob Ferl University of Florida - Gainesville T0053: Validating Telemetric Imaging Hardware for Crew-Assisted and Crew-Autonomous Biological Imaging in Suborbital Applications

Peter Lee Ohio State University T0187: Evaluation of Gravity Sensing Mechanisms in Tissue-Engineered Skeletal Muscle

Kevin Crosby Carthage College T0191: Microgravity Propellant Gauging Using Modal Analysis: Phase III

Kevin Supak Southwest Research Institute - San Antonio T0202: Suborbital Testing of Liquid Acquisition Devices for Cryogenic Fluid Management

W. Kent Tobiska Space Environment Technologies T0221: ARMAS Suborbital

Anne Meier NASA’s Kennedy Space Center T0247: Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR)

July 2020 Raven Aerostar Zero Pressure Daniel Bowman Sandia National Laboratories T0237: Flight Test of a Balloon-borne Aeroseismometer

September 2020 Masten Space Systems Xodiac Steve Sandford Psionic T0256: Psionic Navigation Doppler Lidar: Precision Navigation Sensor for Lunar Missions

September 2020 AM0CAL High-altitude 

balloon Justin Lee The Aerospace Corporation T0177: Rapid Calibration of Space Solar Cells in Suborbital Environments
12 13

FLIGHT PROVIDERS

Flight Opportunities 

supports the 

testing of technologies 

in a wide variety of 

relevant environments. 

Flights from commercial 

providers offer access 

to many vehicle types, 

each with its own 

unique environment and 

capabilities for testing. 

The following information 

highlights the general 

categories of vehicles 

available for testing. 

ROCKET-POWERE

This category includes both suborbital launch vehicles that reach 

high altitudes and may include periods of microgravity as well 

as lander vehicles that specialize in entry, descent, and landing 

(EDL) technologies. Both of these classes of vehicles are typically 

recoverable and reusable after launch. They can be used for testing:

l EDL and navigation systems

l Atmospheric and surface sampling

l Biological experiments

l Robotic systems

l In-space manufacturing methods

l Electronics and information technology systems 

Blue Origin’s New Shepard 

rocket-powered system. 

Credits: Blue Origin

“Flight Opportunities has brought to the forefront new and 

innovative flight providers from the commercial sphere. The wide

range of available vehicles gives our supported researchers a 

broad range of relevant flight environments available for testing.” 

— John Kelly, Program Manager, Flight Opportunities

HIGH-ALTITU

Large balloon systems reach a nominal altitude of 

30 km and can also typically sustain the longest 

duration of the suborbital vehicles – hours, days, 

or even weeks at a time. This makes them ideal for 

payloads that benefit from extended periods of data 

collection. These systems are ideal for testing:

l Sun-sensitive and solar instruments

l Earth-observation instruments

l Communication systems (from high altitudes to ground)

l Other instruments and technologies that may 

benefit from high-altitude observations (both 

to ground and into space) and drop tests

PARABOL

These airplanes achieve brief periods of reduced 

gravity through a series of maneuvers called 

parabolas. Parabolic flights can be used for 

human-tended testing of technologies that need 

to operate in the absence of gravity, such as:

l Space-based medical experiments

l Biological experiments

l Robotic systems

l In-space manufacturing methods

l Electronics and information technology systems

World View’s Stratollite high-altitude balloon system. Credits: World View The payload cabin of Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE parabolic 

aircraft. Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation
14 15

NEW TECHNOLOGY SELECTIONS

TOPIC 1: SUPPORTING SUSTAINABLE LUNAR

EXPLORATION AND THE EXPANSION OF ECONOMIC

ACTIVITY INTO CISLUNAR SPACE

The Flight Opportunities 

“Tech Flights 2020” 

solicitation resulted in the 

selection over $16 million 

of demonstration work 

proposed by industry, 

academia, and private labs 

for suborbital testing of 

technologies that address 

topic areas aligned with 

NASA priorities. The 

program selected 31 

promising innovations 

— the most ever chosen 

through the solicitation. 

The 2020 awards also 

included new elements 

that allow researchers to 

accompany and tend to 

their technology aboard 

suborbital spacecraft 

and to add educational 

opportunities to their 

primary payload. 

Carthage	College

A modal propellant gauging method 

will be tested during continuous 

liquid transfer, establishing the first 

microgravity tests of a technique 

to identify the location and 

distribution of the liquid surface 

during propellant transfer. 

Draper

An entry, descent, and landing 

technology for hazard detection 

will be evaluated, building on 

its previous flight heritage on 

high-altitude balloons. 

Florida	Institute	of	Technology	

The mechanical system of a plant 

incubator will be tested to validate 

its operation in microgravity and 

inform development of a larger 

scale space farming system. 

Honeybee	Robotics	

A tool for evaluating the soil 

strength of near-Earth asteroids 

will be tested, with the aim of 

reducing mission risk to asteroids 

with high commercialization 

and mining potential. 

Mango	Materials		

A membrane-based bioreactor will 

be tested to evaluate, adapt, and 

ultimately optimize gas delivery 

methods that may enable sustainable 

in-situ 3D printing in space. 

Massachusetts	Institute	

of	Technology	

l Two different kinds of robots 

– a “rovable” and an “inchworm” 

– will be tested to evaluate their 

potential to support in-space 

manufacturing and assembly 

of modular structures. 

l A suite of imaging technologies 

will be used in experiments to help 

understand boiling models that 

are critical for the management of 

cryogenic propellant systems in 

microgravity.

New	Jersey	Institute	

of	Technology	

Factors impacting liquid nitrogen 

flow stability will be evaluated to 

enhance the safety of spacecraft 

propellant management. 

Purdue	University	

l A medical suction device 

integrated with a microgravity 

surgical facility will be evaluated, 

with the aim of delivering a 

combined system prototype 

for suborbital testing. 

l A liquid-vapor nitrogen system 

will be evaluated with the goal 

of advancing the state of the 

art for long-term cryogenic 

propellant storage in space. 

l A sensor payload will be used to 

gather data about the heat transfer 

from a lander’s rocket plume to 

its legs, with the goal of informing 

robust designs for future landers. 

l An experiment aimed at enabling 

development of highly accurate 

models for the prediction of flow 

boiling rates will be conducted, 

with the goal of improving spacebased propellant management.

Stanford	University	

A method of using acoustic fields 

will be tested to evaluate its ability 

to monitor propellant levels and 

tank integrity in microgravity. 

The	Aerospace	Corporation	

A method of pressurizing the 

contents of a cryogenic liquid storage

tank will be evaluated in reduced 

gravity to determine improvements 

compared to traditional methods. 

University	of	California,	Davis	

A suite of sensors and a 

display technology will be 

evaluated to determine the 

system’s effectiveness as a nonpharmaceutical countermeasure 

for space adaptation sickness. 

University	of	Central	Florida

Technologies that help characterize 

the interactions between sensors 

and planetary regolith will be 

evaluated, enabling researchers to 

better understand the formation 

of small particles and layered 

structures in low gravity. 

University	of	Florida

Unique measurement approaches 

will be used to evaluate a new 

method for manufacturing metals 

and alloys in microgravity. 

University	of	Louisville

An aqueous immersion surgical 

system will be used to establish 

surgical protocols for spaceflight, 

addressing the potential need 

for methods of treating medical 

emergencies in space. 

West	Virginia	University	

A particle-based, foam-spraying 3D 

printer will be tested to investigate 

the use of ceramic and metal foams 

to strengthen and/or extend the 

in-service lifetimes of pre-existing 

3D-printed structures in space, 

potentially reducing mission costs. 

Zandef	Deksit	

A high-definition imaging system 

designed to capture the first ever 

video of a lunar lander’s final descent 

and landing taken from the Moon’s 

surface will be evaluated, with the 

goal of enabling the collection of data 

on how lander plumes will interact 

with and disrupt lunar regolith.

Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity and 

WhiteKnightTwo take off from Mojave Air 

and Space Port. Credits: Virgin Galactic
16 17

NEW TECHNOLOGY SELECTIONS

TOPIC 2: FOSTERING THE COMMERCIALIZATION OF LOW-EARTH ORBIT AND

UTILIZATION OF SUBORBITAL SPACE

Arizona	State	University	

The ability of a 3D weather imager will be tested to 

determine its ability to improve weather forecasting. 

imec USA

l A measurement system designed to monitor the 

effects of spaceflight on the electrical activity 

of human cells in space will be evaluated. 

l A compact digital holography system will be 

evaluated to assess its capabilities for capturing 

images at subcellular resolution without the 

need for optics or mechanical parts. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Microgravity behavior of beeswax and paraffin 

will be evaluated as possible low-cost, nontoxic alternatives to traditional rocket fuels. 

Montana	State	University

Autonomous hardware to help researchers understand 

the impacts of launch and landing on yeast will be tested, 

with the goal of advancing insight into how biological 

organisms adapt to various stages of spaceflight. 

A research team from the University of Missouri surrounds their payload 

during a parabolic flight campaign on Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-FORCE 

ONE aircraft in November 2019. Credits: University of Missouri

Purdue	University

A handheld, automated video control system will be 

tested as a possible tool for suborbital flight experiments 

that rely on video to monitor operations, record data, 

and aid post-flight technology assessments. 

Southwest	Research	Institute

A broadband imaging system will be evaluated by the 

principal investigator aboard, capturing video through 

the cabin windows of a suborbital spacecraft. A 

biomedical harness will also be used to collect in-flight 

human heart rate and blood flow data. This is the first 

selection under the new NASA policy that allows nonNASA researchers to propose to fly with their research 

on NASA-supported suborbital spacecraft flights. 

Spaceworks	Engineering

A guided re-entry and recovery device will be evaluated 

as a means for enabling low-cost, autonomous 

recovery of small payloads from low-Earth orbit.

University of California, Berkeley

l A new additive manufacturing technique will 

be tested to determine its ability to print both 

biomaterial and engineering components in the 

same machine during microgravity conditions. 

l A “lab on a chip” consisting of a programmable 

microfluidic analyzer will be tested to assess its ability 

to perform clinical assays that could be crucial for 

human health in space.

University of California, Davis

A low-cost, three-axis CubeSat attitude control 

mechanism with hard disk drive reaction wheels 

will be tested to assess the technology’s 

pointing and stabilization in microgravity.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket-powered system descends toward a 

touchdown in west Texas. Credits: Blue Origin

“We are excited to have selected more 

technologies for Flight Opportunities 

than we have in any prior year. We 

are leaning forward into the future 

with these selections, including our 

first of a researcher-tended payload 

on a suborbital spaceflight.” 

— Christopher Baker, Program 

Executive, Flight Opportunities
18 19

NASA PROGRAM COLLABORATIONS 

During FY2020, Flight 

Opportunities built 

new connections 

with a variety of other 

NASA programs. The 

goal: to identify highvalue technologies 

that could benefit from 

suborbital flight testing 

to help advance them 

to mission infusion. 

These collaborations 

ultimately aim to expand 

access to commercial 

suborbital flight 

testing by integrating 

Flight Opportunities 

program activities with 

existing technology 

development plans. 

PAYLOAD ACCELERATOR FOR 

CUBESAT ENDEAVORS (PACE)

Flight Opportunities has partnered 

with NASA’s Small Spacecraft 

Technology program to help increase 

the pace of getting innovations to the 

Moon and beyond by rapidly derisking technologies via a combination 

of suborbital and orbital flight tests. 

The PACE initiative seeks to leverage 

a consistent form factor for both 

suborbital and orbital tests as well as 

enable suborbital test data to inform 

orbital test plans. In FY2020, three 

NASA technologies were selected for 

flight tests on high-altitude balloons 

to validate system performance: 

NASA’s Ames Research Center

l A particle detector instrument 

called INTREPID that 

discriminates between neutrons 

and gamma rays and may 

enable the characterization of 

radiation environments on small 

satellites and rovers as well 

as identification of potentially 

habitable environments 

l A CubeSat architecture with 

flexible and modular systems 

designed to enable low-cost, 

rapid technology demonstrations 

to help meet NASA’s safety 

and reliability standards and 

offer a nearly plug-and-play 

solution for CubeSat avionics 

l A low-cost, low-SWaP (size, 

weight, and power) autonomous 

networking and navigation 

technology called V-R3x designed 

to enhance coordination among 

multiple spacecraft while limiting 

the need for ground-based 

infrastructure and control

The first suborbital flights for NASA’s PACE initiative will be carried out in 2021 

on a high-altitude balloon from Raven Aerostar. Credits: Raven Aerostar

SMALL	BUSINESS	INNOVATION	

RESEARCH	AND	SMALL	BUSINESS	

TECHNOLOGY	TRANSFER	(SBIR/STTR)		

Flight Opportunities is supporting SBIR/STTR technology 

developments by investing in suborbital flight testing for 

relevant Phase II projects. In FY2020, initial progress was 

made toward parabolic testing of a vapor compression 

refrigeration system from Air Squared designed for 

cold food storage on future exploration missions. 

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION 

RESEARCH	INTEGRATION	OFFICE

In FY2020, Flight Opportunities collaborated with 

the International Space Station Research Integration 

Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to support 

technology development targeted for station deployment. 

Functional and operational tests aboard suborbital 

vehicles will be used to help lower technical risk and 

hasten technology development. In FY2020, Flight 

Opportunities selected two efforts related to the 

manufacturing of ZBLAN (ZrF4

-BaF2-LaF3-AIF3-NaF)-

based optical fiber in microgravity for flight testing. 

Mercury	Systems	

(formerly	Physical	Optics	Corporation)	

Improved techniques for manufacturing ZBLAN-based 

optical fiber in low gravity will be characterized by 

testing a ruggedized fiber draw module that can be 

automatically initiated to produce longer fiber lengths. 

Made	In	Space		

Researchers will test an early-stage engineering 

development unit for a Glass Alloy Manufacturing 

Machine – Acoustic Levitation Furnace (GAMMAALF) – a containerless processing system of glass 

preforms for fiber optics using acoustic levitation.

Two collaborative projects will investigate the advantages of manufacturing 

ZBLAN-based optical fiber in microgravity. These scanning electron 

microscope images show the surface of ZBLAN fibers pulled in microgravity 

(ug) and on Earth (1g). Manufacturing in microgravity may help sidestep the 

crystallization that occurs in Earth-based processing. Credits: NASA
20 21

NASA PROGRAM COLLABORATIONS 

OTHER NASA PROJECT AND PROGRAM SELECTIONS

In FY2020, Flight Opportunities identified a variety of 

technologies integral to a wide range of NASA projects 

and programs that could benefit from suborbital 

tests to advance project and mission goals. 

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

l Researchers will analyze a dual-rasp surface 

sampling tool designed to operate in the 

gravitational environment of Enceladus, 

the sixth-largest moon of Saturn. 

l Flight testing will aid assessment of an automated 

DNA extraction device that could eliminate the need 

for returning samples to Earth for analysis, potentially 

accelerating diagnostics on orbital missions. 

l Researchers will evaluate a spatial heterodyne 

spectroscopy interferometric technique that 

enables data collection with Hubble-level sensitivity 

but over a very narrow bandpass of interest. 

NASA’s	Ames	Research	Center	

Researchers will test a nephelometer on a high-altitude 

balloon, collecting data about the properties of the interiors 

of planetary clouds, including size, density, and state of 

matter of cloud particles, to help inform cloud models and 

climate simulations. 

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center

l Researchers will leverage flight tests to evaluate atomic 

layer deposition – an in-space additive manufacturing 

technique – for fabricating multi-functional 

coatings, particularly for large telescope mirrors. 

l An electrically driven thin-film boiling system will be 

evaluated in advance of an International Space Station 

experiment for thermal management use across a wider 

thermal range than possible with current methods. 

NASA’s	Marshall	Space	Flight	Center	

Researchers will test an improved fluid-dispensing tube 

design critical to International Space Station experiments 

that aim to advance understanding of protein aggregation 

associated with neurodegenerative diseases. 

JPL’s heterodyne spectrometer is just 58 grams, with optics, electronics, 

and mechanics included. It will be evaluated as an option for gathering high 

spectral data on mass-limited space missions. Credits: NASA 

NASA’s	Armstrong	Flight	Research	Center			

Flight testing will help researchers evaluate the viability of 

the Fiber Optic Sensing System (FOSS) – an innovative 

method of collecting strain and temperature measurements 

with high precision – for space-based applications.

NASA	Headquarters	and	NASA’s	Kennedy	Space	Center	

Researchers aim to validate that GPS and Galileo signals 

can be used for lunar/cislunar positioning, navigation, and 

timing. They will fly two different multi-Global Navigation 

Satellite System (GNSS) receivers on a suborbital flight 

and then use the test data to down-select one receiver 

to fly on a lunar lander and/or cislunar spacecraft. 

OTHER	GOVERNMENT	AGENCY	SELECTIONS

NASA also partners with other government 

agencies to test technologies that are relevant to 

the aerospace community. Three technologies 

were selected in FY2020 for flight testing: 

Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial

Space Transportation

l Flexible, high-speed, low-cost data acquisition and 

storage systems and black box technology will 

be evaluated for use as a flight data repository. 

l Researchers will leverage an existing, 

atmospheric flight-proven modern general 

aviation LED strobe to investigate its applicability 

to commercial space vehicles when operating 

in the National Airspace System. 

l Technology that aims to address the shortcomings 

of current ADS-B equipment will be tested on a 

reusable launch vehicle flight to assess its ability to 

handle the dynamic environment of spaceflight. 

A project from Armstrong will investigate the viability of a ground-proven 

system for collecting strain and temperature measurements for space-based 

applications. Here, NASA research engineer Jonathan Lopez prepares a 

compact version of the system, known as a FOSS rocket box. Credits: NASA
22 23

Number PI Organization Technology NASA TX Number

T0003 Sathya 

Gangadharan

Embry-Riddle 

Aeronautical 

University

Investigation to Determine Rotational Stability of On-Orbit 

Propellant Storage and Transfer Systems Undergoing 

Operational Fuel Transfer Scenarios

TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0191 Kevin Crosby Carthage College Microgravity Propellant Gauging Using Modal Analysis: 

Phase III TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0206 Steven Collicott Purdue University Small-sat Propellant Management Technology TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0215 Alina Alexeenko Purdue University Spaceflight Testing of FEMTA Micropropulsion System for 

Interplanetary Smallsat TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0216 Steven Collicott Purdue University Zero-g Slosh Model Technology: Knowledge Payload TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0218 Kevin Crosby Carthage College Magneto-Active Slosh Control System for Spacecraft and 

Launch Vehicles TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0227 Kevin Supak Southwest Research 

Institute - San Antonio

Microgravity Testing of a Large-Scale Liquid Acquisition 

Device for Cryogenic Fluid Management TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0229 Kevin Crosby Carthage College Propellant Mass Gauging in Gateway Architecture Vehicles TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0241 Steven Collicott Purdue University Spacecraft Pointing Control and Zero-gravity Slosh – 

Knowledge Payload TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0244 Jacob Chung University of Florida - 

Gainesville

Determination of Cryogenic Pool Boiling and Subsurface 

Helium Pressurization Characteristics in Reduced Gravity TX01: Propulsion Systems

T0177 Justin Lee The Aerospace 

Corporation

Rapid Calibration of Space Solar Cells in Suborbital 

Environments TX02: Flight Computing and Avionics

T0217 Charles Hibbitts

The Johns Hopkins 

University Applied 

Physics Laboratory 

(APL)

IRIS: An Integrated Remote Imaging System - External 

Environment Remote Sensing from Suborbital Reusable 

Launch Vehicles

TX02: Flight Computing and Avionics

T0233 Brock LaMeres Montana State 

University - Bozeman

RadPC@scale - Suborbital Flight Demonstration of a 

Radiation Tolerant Computer System at-Scale TX02: Flight Computing and Avionics

T0258 Dayne Kemp NASA’s Ames 

Research Center Advanced Developments Projects (ADP) Flight Avionics TX02: Flight Computing and Avionics

T0207 David Miles University of Iowa - 

Iowa City

CubeSat Articulated Boom Option Optimization in 

Microgravity (CABOOM) TX04: Robotic Systems

T0225 Daniel Durda Southwest Research 

Institute - Boulder

Box-of-Rocks Experiment II: Morphology and Sampling of 

Asteroid Regolith Simulants in Microgravity TX04: Robotic Systems

T0226 Kris Zacny Honeybee Robotics PlanetVac-Xombie2: Honeybee PlanetVac on the Masten 

Lunar Lander TX04: Robotic Systems

T0248 Mircea Badescu NASA’s Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory

Microgravity Testing of the Dual Rasp Sampling Tool/

System TX04: Robotic Systems

T0253 Kris Zacny Honeybee Robotics Increasing Fidelity for Lunar Sample Collection TX04: Robotic Systems

T0259 Zachary 

Manchester Stanford University

V-R3x - CubeSat Cross-link, Ranging, and Coordinated 

Measurement Technology Demonstration for Future 

Distributed CubeSat Swarm Missions

TX05: Communications, Navigation, 

and Orbital Debris Tracking and 

Characterization Systems

T0155 George Pantalos University of Louisville Suborbital Evaluation of an Aqueous Immersion Surgical 

System for Reduced Gravity

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0187 Peter Lee Ohio State University Evaluation of Gravity Sensing Mechanisms in TissueEngineered Skeletal Muscle

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO

Number PI Organization Technology NASA TX Number

T0201 Rob Ferl University of Florida - 

Gainesville

Human Tended Space Biology: Enabling Suborbital 

Genomics and Gene Expression

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0204 Julie Brisset University of Central 

Florida Dust In-situ Manipulation System (DIMS) TX06: Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems

T0209 Michael Menze University of Louisville Evaluation of Preserved Blood for Transfusion Therapy in 

Reduced Gravity

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0211 Chung-Lung Chen University of Missouri 

- Columbia

Electrowetting Enhanced Dropwise Condensation in the 

Zero-g Environment

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0219 Amir Hirsa Rensselaer 

Polytechnic Institute

Adapting the Ring-Sheared Drop (RSD) Technology as a 

Bioreactor

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0220 Christine Escobar Space Lab 

Technologies Microgravity Investigation for Thin Film Hydroponics TX06: Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems

T0221 W. Kent Tobiska Space Environment 

Technologies ARMAS Suborbital TX06: Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems

T0230 Marion Turnbull Mayo Clinic - 

Jacksonville

Autonomous Sampling Technology for Biological 

Research During Suborbital Rocket Flight

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0231 H. Todd Smith The Johns Hopkins 

Applied Physics Lab

Application of Europa-Clipper Technology for Lunar 

Radiation Hazard Identification and Characterization

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0232 W. Kent Tobiska Space Environment 

Technologies

ARMAS Dual Monitor Pre-Operations Mission 

Demonstration (ARMAS DM POMD)

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0236 Susana Zanello

imec USA 

Nanoelectronics 

Design Center

Silicon-Based Microfluidic Blood Test for Spaceflight TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0238 John Wikswo Vanderbilt University

An Automated, Instrumented Evaluation Platform for 

Validating the Performance of a Novel, Integrated 

Microfluidic Pump and Valve Experiment Control 

System for Tissue-Chips-In-Space and Chemical Mixing 

Experiments in Microgravity

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0239 Rob Ferl University of Florida - 

Gainesville Biological Imaging in Support of Suborbital Science TX06: Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems

T0245 Gregory Whiting University of Colorado 

- Boulder

Viability of In-situ Lunar Manufacturing of Life Support 

Systems Using a Direct Writing Technique

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0247 Anne Meier NASA’s Kennedy 

Space Center

Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor 

(OSCAR)

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0249 Kasthuri 

Venkateswaran

NASA’s Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory

Parabolic Flight Test of the Microgravity Tolerant 

Instrument for Automated Nucleic Acid Extraction (uTitan)

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0252 Sridhar Gorti NASA’s Marshall 

Space Flight Center

Parabolic Flight Demonstration of Fluid Dispensing Tube 

Performance Limits for Drop Delivery

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0257 Dayne Kemp NASA’s Ames 

Research Center Intrepid Particle Detector TX06: Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems

T0263 Stephen Caskey Air Squared Vapor Compression Refrigeration System for Cold Food 

Storage on Spacecraft

TX06: Human Health, Life Support, 

and Habitation Systems

T0036 Josh Colwell University of Central 

Florida

Collisions into Dust Experiment (COLLIDE) on a 

Commercial Suborbital Vehicle

TX07: Exploration Destination 

Systems
24 25

TECHNOLOGY PORTFOLIO

Number PI Organization Technology NASA TX Number

T0015 H. Todd Smith APL Electromagnetic Field Measurements on Suborbital 

Reusable Launch Vehicles TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0022 H. Todd Smith APL Environment Monitoring Suite on Suborbital Reusable 

Launch Vehicles TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0023 Sean Casey Silicon Valley Space 

Center

Measurement of the Atmospheric Background in the 

Mesosphere TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0076 H. Todd Smith APL Demonstration of Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes for 

Earth Climate Remote Sensing TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0114 H. Todd Smith APL Technology Demonstration of Graphene Ion Membranes for 

Earth and Space Applications TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0196 H. Todd Smith APL

JANUS 3.0: Enabling Game Changing External Environment 

Payload Accommodation on Suborbital Reusable Launch 

Vehicles

TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0224 Charles Hibbitts APL Integrated Remote Imaging System - Ultraviolet TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0234 Bryan Chan Night Crew Labs Flight Testing a GNSS Radio Occultation Autonomous 

System for Commercial Space Weather Applications TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0237 Daniel Bowman Sandia National 

Laboratories Flight Test of a Balloon-borne Aeroseismometer TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0250 Allen Parker NASA’s Armstrong 

Flight Research Center

Advancing Fiber Optic Sensing Technology for Space 

Applications (FOSS) TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0251 Vivek Dwivedi NASA’s Goddard 

Space Flight Center

In-Space Coating Development Utilizing Atomic Layer 

Deposition (ALD) TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0254 H. Todd Smith APL Suborbital Flight Testing of Chip-scale Satellites for Earth, 

Lunar and Cislunar Space Applications TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0260 Anthony Colaprete NASA’s Ames 

Research Center Nephelometer Experiment (NephEx) TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0261 Sona Hosseini NASA’s Jet Propulsion 

Laboratory

Flight Demonstration and Maturation of the Next Generation 

of Miniature High-resolution Spectrometers TX08: Sensors and Instruments

T0214 Alexandre Martin University of Kentucky Technology Demonstration of the KRUPS Capsule for HeatShield Validation TX09: Entry, Descent, and Landing

T0235 Sean Bailey University of Kentucky Assessment of Forward Sensing Turbulence Detection 

Strategies for Stratospheric Flight TX09: Entry, Descent, and Landing

T0240 Brett Streetman Draper Draper Multi-Environment Navigator (DMEN) Suborbital 

Rocket Campaign TX09: Entry, Descent, and Landing

T0242 Philip Metzger University of Central 

Florida Maturing Ejecta STORM for Lunar Delivery TX09: Entry, Descent, and Landing

T0269 John M. Carson NASA’s Johnson 

Space Center

Safe and Precise Landing - Integrated Capabilities 

Evolution (SPLICE) TX09: Entry, Descent, and Landing

T0156 Julie Brisset University of Central 

Florida

Suborbital Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment-2 

(SPACE-2)

TX11: Software, Modeling, Simulation, 

and Information Processing

T0255 Tim Lachenmeier GSSL Inc. Data Buoy for NASA’s Long Duration High Altitude Balloons TX11: Software, Modeling, Simulation, 

and Information Processing

Number PI Organization Technology NASA TX Number

T0212 Konstantinos 

Sierros

West Virginia 

University 3D Printing of Hierarchical Foams in Microgravity

TX12: Materials, Structures, 

Mechanical Systems and 

Manufacturing

T0228 Mark Pankow North Carolina State 

University

Composite Origami for Spacecraft Solar Arrays and 

Deployable Structures

TX12: Materials, Structures, 

Mechanical Systems and 

Manufacturing

T0268 Daniel Marshall Physical Optics 

Corporation Orbital Fiber Optic Production Module (ORFOM)

TX12: Materials, Structures, 

Mechanical Systems and 

Manufacturing

T0243 Adrienne Dove University of Central 

Florida Exploring Electrostatic Regolith Interactions in Low Gravity TX13: Ground, Test, and Surface Systems

T0173 Franklin Robinson NASA’s Goddard 

Space Flight Center

Flow Boiling in Microgap Coolers - Embedded Thermal 

Management for Space Applications TX14: Thermal Management Systems

T0189 Jacob Chung University of Florida - 

Gainesville

Demonstration of Optimal Chilldown Methods for Cryogenic 

Propellant Tanks in Reduced Gravity TX14: Thermal Management Systems

T0213 R. Michael Banish University of Alabama 

- Huntsville Transport Properties of Fluids for Exploration TX14: Thermal Management Systems

T0262 Jeffrey Didion NASA’s Goddard 

Space Flight Center

Investigation of Gravity Effects on Electrically Driven 

Liquid Film Boiling: A Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle 

Experiment in Preparation for an ISS Flight Experiment

TX14: Thermal Management Systems

T0194 Stephan Ord NASA’s Ames 

Research Center SFEM-3 (SlamStick) TX15: Flight Vehicle Systems

T0270 Arwen Dave NASA’s Ames 

Research Center Affordable Vehicle Avionics (AVA) TX15: Flight Vehicle Systems

T0271 Jerry Larson UP Aerospace Spyder: Critical Technology Demonstration Tests TX15: Flight Vehicle Systems

T0264 James J. Miller NASA Headquarters Multi-Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver 

Payload

TX16: Air Traffic Management and 

Range Tracking Systems

T0265 Nick Demidovich

Federal Aviation 

Administration Office 

of Commercial Space 

Transportation

Flight test of Spacecraft Black Box Technology modules for 

Commercial Spacecraft

TX16: Air Traffic Management and 

Range Tracking Systems

T0266 Nick Demidovich

Federal Aviation 

Administration Office 

of Commercial Space 

Transportation

First Demonstration of General Aviation Strobe for 

Commercial Re-usable Launch Vehicles (RLVs)

TX16: Air Traffic Management and 

Range Tracking Systems

T0267 Nick Demidovich

Federal Aviation 

Administration Office 

of Commercial Space 

Transportation

Commercial Space Vehicle Tracking using ADS-B 

Technology

TX16: Air Traffic Management and 

Range Tracking Systems

T0256 Steve Sandford Psionic Psionic Navigation Doppler LIDAR: Precision Navigation 

Sensor for Lunar Missions

TX17: Guidance, Navigation, and 

Control
FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES 

Rapid Demonstration of Promising Space Technologies

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Armstrong Flight Research Center 

Edwards, California 93523

www.nasa.gov/flightopportunities

www.nasa.gov Front cover image credits: Sandia National Laboratories

Credits: NASA, UP Aerospace

NP-2020-06-62-AFRC