National Aeronautics and Space Administration

FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

SPACE TECHNOLOGY MISSION DIRECTORATE

Accomplishments | Fiscal Year 2022
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CONTENTS

FY2022 in Review2

Flight Highlights4

Technologies Tested in FY2022 10

Technology Transitions Highlights 14

New Technology Selections 16

Cross-Program Collaboration 20

Support for Vehicle 

Capability Enhancements 21

Educational Outreach 22

Changing the Pace of Space 26

“The Flight Opportunities program offers 

payload developers a unique chance to 

witness the performance of their hardware 

in a space-like environment. Our flights 

have been indispensable, along with 

the incredible support from NASA. 

These flights have helped us improve 

our hardware and provided a clear 

path towards advancing the technology 

for the International Space Station.” 

Dmitry Starodubov, principal 

investigator for Space Fibers 3, 

FOMS, Inc. (see story on page 14) 

FLIGHT 

OPPORTUNITIES

MISSION

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program rapidly 

demonstrates 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 ground-based 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.

Credits: NASA/Michael DeMocker

Credits (front cover): World View
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FISCAL YEAR 2022 IN REVIEW

In Fiscal Year 2022, Flight Opportunities:

Supported 

97 payloads 

tested in flight

Supported 28

successful flights 

with commercial 

flight partners

Selected 19

technologies for 

future flight tests

The Program Continued Changing 

the Pace of Space by:

Launching all winning 

experiments from the 

first NASA TechLeap 

Prize – in just one 

year

Awarding funding 

for testing on 

commercial vehicles 

for promising space 

technologies

Partnering with the 

Small Spacecraft 

Technology program

to offer hosted orbital 

testing opportunities 

Continuing support 

for future commercial 

flight capabilities, 

including lunar gravity 

and planetary re-entry 

environments

Working 

collaboratively with 

other programs 

across NASA to 

expand access to 

suborbital testing

Flight Opportunities Supported the 

Suborbital Research Community by:

Facilitating knowledge transfer to 

over 3,000 members of the space 

community through the program’s 

monthly Community of Practice 

webinars and newsletter

Providing flight campaign 

management to balloon, parabolic, 

and rocket-powered commercial 

flights across the U.S. to help 

maximize success of technology 

testing objectives

Making connections between 

Flight Opportunities grantees 

and NASA programs and 

technologists to facilitate paths 

toward mission infusions

The Program 

Helped Inspire 

the Next Generation 

by:

Supporting 57 student teams

in grades 6–12 from 37 U.S. 

states and territories through 

the first NASA TechRise 

Student Challenge, offering 

hands-on STEM experience to 

more than 600 students

Providing flight test experience 

to students made possible with 

educational funding 

$

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FLIGHT 

HIGHLIGHTS

Maturing Capabilities for 

Future Mission Needs

Flight Opportunities supported testing of a 

wide range of technologies and capabilities 

on commercial suborbital vehicles in FY2022. 

These tests moved payloads out of the lab and 

into relevant flight environments – increasing 

technology readiness levels, identifying necessary 

improvements, and advancing critical capabilities 

needed for future space missions. Cross-program 

collaboration enabled the program to leverage a 

variety of funding mechanisms to support rapid 

technology advancement through flight testing. 

Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation

Advancing Space-Based Video 

Capture Techniques 

DATE AND LOCATION: October 14, 2021 — Mojave, California

FLIGHT VEHICLE: Xodiac (Astrobotic Technology, formerly 

Masten Space Systems) 

FUNDING MECHANISM: NASA TechFlights award

Video capture during future Moon landings could play an 

important role in contributing to researchers’ understanding 

of disturbances in lunar surface materials – called regolith – 

caused by the lander’s rocket plume. This flight on a vertical 

takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) vehicle provided testing for the 

ExoCam Module Lunar Lander Descent Imaging System 

from Zandef Deksit. Simulating the movement of a lunar 

lander, the VTVL vehicle enabled researchers to evaluate an 

ejection mechanism to jettison a high-definition camera and 

regolith sensor onto the desert surface at specific altitudes 

just before landing. Once on the ground, the payload’s 

camera captured video footage of the vehicle from the 

unique vantage point of the desert floor – a stand-in for the 

surface of the Moon.

Zandef Deksit’s ExoCam in its metal cage rests on the desert surface of Mojave, 

California. Masten Space Systems’s Xodiac VTVL vehicle can be seen in the 

ExoCam’s viewfinder and in the distance. Credits: Zandef Deksit, Inc./Jason 

Achilles Mezilis

Validating an On-Demand Payload 

Delivery System

The SpaceWorks RED-4U capsule in flight after being released from a Near 

Space Corporation high-altitude balloon at 103,000 feet. The parafoil guiding 

the capsule’s descent was developed by Earthly Dynamics and Aerial Delivery 

Solutions. Credits: SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.

DATE AND LOCATION: October 19, 2021 — Madras, Oregon

FLIGHT VEHICLE: Small Balloon System 

(Near Space Corporation)

FUNDING MECHANISM: NASA TechFlights award

On-demand payload recovery from space could aid a variety 

of research and commercial space goals, including transport 

of small instruments and tools, biological samples, or 

science experiments returning to Earth from low-Earth orbit 

destinations. For this flight, the Re-entry Device 4U (RED4U) payload return capsule from SpaceWorks Enterprises

was suspended under a high-altitude balloon and released 

at an altitude of 103,000 feet. The 20-inch diameter capsule 

landed within 250 feet of its target touch-down destination, 

thanks to a guided parafoil. The flight was a milestone for 

evaluating key capabilities, including the capsule’s altitude 

detection and the parafoil’s autonomous guidance and 

control.

Improving Weather and Climate Data 

Collection Capabilities

DATES AND LOCATION: April 9–13, 2022 — Tucson, Arizona

FLIGHT VEHICLE: Stratollite (World View)

FUNDING MECHANISM: NASA TechFlights award

High-speed transmission of weather data from CubeSats 

and weather balloons is key to providing researchers 

with forecasting and climate information. For this flight, 

researchers from Arizona State University evaluated a 

small, lightweight, efficient 3D imaging sensor called the 

CubeSounder. The sensor is designed to provide stateof-the-art atmospheric sounding capabilities – gathering 

data on temperature, moisture, and water vapor – to reveal 

subtle changes in Earth’s atmosphere. Reaching an altitude 

of 70,000 feet and logging more than 100 hours, the flight 

enabled researchers to validate the CubeSounder’s ability 

to collect atmospheric data as 3D images. The technology 

could be used to provide climate data collection with lower 

size, weight, and power requirements than currently available 

sensors. 

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Arizona State University CubeSounder team members Kyle Massingill (left) and 

Michael Baricuatro with their weather sensor payload integrated onto the World 

View balloon hardware. Credits: Arizona State University
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FLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Providing Microgravity Testing for 

Space Innovations

DATES AND LOCATIONS: November 16–19, 2021; 

December 7–15, 2021; 

May 9–12 and 16–17, 2022; 

June 27–28, 2022 — 

Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, 

Florida; Santa Maria, California

FLIGHT VEHICLE: G-FORCE ONE (Zero Gravity 

Corporation)

FUNDING MECHANISMS: NASA TechFlights, Tipping Point, 

and Small Business Innovation 

Research (SBIR) awards

Over the course of 19 parabolic flights in FY2022, 30 

Flight Opportunities–supported technology payloads were 

put to the test in microgravity, advancing a wide range of 

capabilities for future space exploration needs. (See full list 

on pages 10–13.) Researchers flew alongside their payloads 

on a modified aircraft that performs a series of maneuvers 

to create multiple brief periods of weightlessness – enabling 

research teams to collect vital data about how their 

technologies perform in microgravity. Among the capabilities 

advanced on the flight were the following.

Carthage College student Nicolas Welker prepares to start a zero-gravity transfer 

of propellant simulant during a parabolic flight in November 2021. Credits: Zero 

Gravity Corporation/Steve Boxall

Space-Based Food and Farming

Sustainable food harvesting in space will be essential to 

ensuring astronauts have a ready supply of fresh nutrients 

to sustain their lives and work in space. Researchers tested 

technologies that could enable robotic seed delivery for 

large-scale space farms and tackle microgravity challenges 

such as keeping plant roots separated from their shoots. 

Propellant and Cryogenic Management

In-space propellant transfer and refueling is a critical 

capability for sustained human presence in space. Research 

teams gathered data about how propellant behaves in 

microgravity and tested systems designed to:

 Gauge accurately the amount of propellant remaining 

in a spacecraft fuel tank

 Understand the effects of liquid slosh and dynamic 

spacecraft movements on gauging accuracy

 Monitor fuel tanks for propellant boiloff and 

structural health

 Address the need for vapor-free propellants for 

long-duration missions

 Develop predictive simulations for heat transfer of 

cryogenic propellants

A research team from University of California, Davis evaluates low-cost reaction 

wheels for CubeSats during a period of weightlessness on a parabolic flight in 

December 2021. Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation/Steve Boxall

Manufacturing and Structural Health

Parabolic flights helped researchers advance capabilities for 

the “make it, don’t take it” approach to space habitats – that 

is, manufacturing needed supplies in space. Teams evaluated 

technologies that aim to:

 Enable on-demand printing of electronics

 Produce a reliable supply of replacement parts and 

structures for lunar and Martian habitats

 Deploy swarms of micro-robots to assess performance for 

part assembly and structural inspections

 Strengthen or repair existing space structures using 

ceramic foam inks with superior strength

Human Health and Biological Research

Understanding the impact of long-term space exploration 

on biological systems and ensuring astronaut health will be 

necessary for future missions. Research teams assessed 

technologies designed to provide wound and surgical care, 

limit space adaptation sickness, and perform clinical assays 

and diagnostic tests. 

Lunar and Planetary Surface Exploration

Lunar exploration will require increased understanding of 

the effects of lunar dust on humans, robots, and equipment. 

Researchers tested technology to help increase that 

understanding and build predictive models of dust behavior 

to inform mitigation methods. 

Small Spacecraft Capabilities

Lowering the cost of CubeSats and other small spacecraft 

could enable their use for a wider range of space-based 

tasks and research. Teams tested technologies designed to 

provide low-cost precise attitude and pointing control for 

small spacecraft and to manage their propellant levels. 

A team of researchers from MIT evaluate the performance of miniature robots for 

space-based assembly and inspections on a parabolic flight in December 2021. 

Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation/Steve Boxall

“This flight taught us that the transition 

of a lab-based prototype instrument to 

a flight instrument – and its automated 

operation in a flight environment – is very 

challenging. This successful experiment is 

an important step in advancing the flight 

technology readiness of our instrument.” 

Richard Mathies and Anna Butterworth, 

co-investigators for Lab-on-a-Chip, 

University of California, Berkeley
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FLIGHT HIGHLIGHTS

Accelerating Time to Flight for Earth 

Observation Systems

DATES AND LOCATIONS: July 8, July 28, August 3, 2022 — 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

FLIGHT VEHICLE: Zero-Pressure Balloon System 

(Aerostar)

FUNDING MECHANISMS: NASA TechLeap Prize

Winners of the first NASA TechLeap Prize – Autonomous 

Observation Challenge No. 1 – launched their technologies 

on high-altitude balloon flights in FY2022, testing them at 

stratospheric altitudes. The challenge asked winners to 

develop small spacecraft observation technologies that 

can autonomously detect, locate, track, and collect data 

on transient events on Earth and beyond. The balloon 

flights enabled the teams – all first-time Flight Opportunities 

awardees – to gather valuable test data and gain experience 

with the full process of building a technology payload and 

bringing it from lab to flight test in less than one year.

Advancing Detection of Nascent Wildfires 

Student members of the Bronco Space Lab at Cal Poly 

Pomona developed and launched a wildfire detection system 

called Bronco Ember. Combining a short-wave infrared 

camera with artificial intelligence, the system is designed 

to provide potentially faster, more accurate aerial detection 

of nascent wildfires, which often go undetected by current 

geolocation methods. The balloon flight enabled the team 

to evaluate the technology’s efficacy and identify necessary 

improvements to its detection and tracking consistency 

– refinements they plan for the next generation of Bronco 

Ember.

Orion Labs’ Quantum Earth Observatory launches on an Aerostar high-altitude 

balloon from the company’s facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 28, 2022. 

The observatory hardware is housed in the gondola carried below the balloon. 

Credits: Orion Labs/Margarita Reyes

Validating Quantum Machine Learning 

Small business Orion Labs developed and tested the 

Quantum Earth Observatory (QEOBS) – a four unit–sized 

CubeSat designed to demonstrate how onboard data 

processing and quantum machine learning can result in 

reduced downlink requirements. Its capabilities could 

significantly reduce the bandwidth needed for small 

spacecraft to send data about terrestrial events back to 

Earth. During the flight, QEOBS collected thousands of 

images of small dams and waterways, processing the image 

data onboard and efficiently downlinking only data about 

confirmed dam detections to the ground. The flight results 

will help the team identify specific Earth observation use 

cases for the technology and prepare for a potential future 

demonstration on a small spacecraft. 

The Orion Labs team makes final hardware checks on their Quantum Earth 

Observatory payload prior to launch. From left to right: Frank Soboczenski, 

Philippe Ludivig, Sara Jennings, and Kolbron Schoenberger. Credits: Orion Labs/

Margarita Reyes

Testing a Satellite System for Plume Identification

Developed by students at Texas A&M University’s Systems 

Engineering, Architecture, and Knowledge (SEAK) Lab, 

the Satellite for Natural and Artificial Plumes (SNAP) uses 

gimbaled cameras to collect image data and a computing 

system to process the data using a trained neural network 

to identify and track Earth-based plumes. The technology 

could contribute to monitoring of fire, pollution, and volcanic 

activities. The balloon flight enabled image collection and 

testing of SNAP’s plume-tracking capability as well as 

identification of necessary improvements to its onboard 

computing system, leading to a troubleshooting and 

mitigation plan in advance of a second flight slated for 2023.

“When we launched the TechLeap Prize in 2021, 

we wanted to accelerate access to flight testing 

and expand the diversity of ideas and solutions 

brought to the NASA table. These organizations are 

building innovative payloads and literally getting 

them off the ground – in less than one year.”

Danielle McCulloch, Program Manager (Acting), 

NASA’s Flight Opportunities program

Zachary Gaines, a senior in Cal Poly Pomona’s Bronco Space 

Lab, points out the camera and sensor used in the team’s 

Bronco Ember technology to detect and track wildfires. 

Credits: Aerostar/Anastasia Quanbeck
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TECHNOLOGIES TESTED IN FY2022

Flight Date Flight Provider Flight Vehicle Principal Investigator Organization Technology Name

October 14, 2021 Masten Space Systems Xodiac Jason Mezilis Zandef Deksit T0304 Deployment Test for ExoCam Module Lunar Lander Descent Imaging

October 19, 2021 Near Space Corporation Small Balloon System Tyler Kunsa SpaceWorks Enterprises T0297 Enabling Low-Cost, Autonomous Recovery of Small Payloads from Low-Earth Orbit

November 16-19, 2021 Zero Gravity Corporation G-FORCE ONE Kevin Crosby, Ph.D. Carthage College T0191 Microgravity Propellant Gauging Using Modal Analysis: Phase III

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

Susana Zanello IMEC USA Nanoelectronics Design Center T0236 Silicon-Based Microfluidic Blood Test for Spaceflight

Markus Wilde Florida Institute of Technology T0275 Microgravity Test of Autonomous Multiple Cycle Farming System

Kevin Crosby, Ph.D. Carthage College T0277 Propellant Gauging During On-Orbit Refueling and Transfer Operations

Konstantinos Sierros, Ph.D. West Virginia University T0294 Particle-Based Foams Spraying in Microgravity

Ram Prasad Ghandiraman Space Foundry T0312 Plasma Jet Printing for In-Space Manufacturing

Gioia Massa NASA's Kennedy Space Center T0313 Microgreens Root Zone/Shoot Zone Partitioned Planting Box

Brandon Kirkland Redwire (formerly Made In Space) T0331 Vulcan Advanced Hybrid Manufacturing (VULCAN)

December 7–15, 2021 Zero Gravity Corporation G-FORCE ONE Steven Collicott Purdue University T0206 Small-Sat Propellant Management Technology

Ranga Narayanan University of Florida T0278 Testing a Novel Technology for a Key Material Property Measurement – Application to Advanced Manufacturing in Space

Stephen Robinson University of California, Davis T0280 Zero-g Technology Demonstration of Low-Cost Three-Axis CubeSat Attitude Control with Hard Disk Drive Reaction Wheels

Steven Collicott Purdue University T0281 Enhancing Suborbital Tech Advancement Through Automated Control of High-Definition Video Systems

Steven Collicott Purdue University T0285 Integrating Microgravity Medical Suction and Microgravity Surgical Facility

Joseph Paradiso Massachusetts Institute of Technology T0286 Autonomous Robot Swarms for Lunar Orbit Servicing and Space Asset Assembly

Stephen Robinson University of California, Davis T0290 Capturing Human Adaptations in Novel Gravitational Environments in Space (CHANGES)

Adrienne Dove University of Central Florida T0292 Strata-2P – Characterizing Sensor-Regolith Interactions in Reduced-Gravity

Robert Anderson NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory T0295 Soil Properties Assessment Resistance and Thermal Analysis (SPARTA)

Ram Prasad Ghandiraman Space Foundry T0312 Plasma Jet Printing for In-Space Manufacturing

Gioia Massa NASA's Kennedy Space Center T0313 Microgreens Root Zone/Shoot Zone Partitioned Planting Box

Hantang Qin Iowa State University T0325 3D Printing of Flexible Electronics for In-Space Manufacturing and Investigations via Microgravity Parabolic Flight Tests

Dmitry Starodubov NASA's Johnson Space Center T0326 Space Fibers 3 Preflight
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TECHNOLOGIES TESTED IN FY2022

Flight Date Flight Provider Flight Vehicle Principal Investigator Organization Technology Name

April 9–13, 2022 World View Stratollite Sean Bryan Arizona State University T0289 CubeSounder: Flying a Novel 3D Weather Imaging Sensor on a High-Altitude Balloon

May 9–12, 2022 Zero Gravity Corporation G-FORCE ONE Kevin Crosby, Ph.D. Carthage College T0277 Propellant Gauging During On-Orbit Refueling and Transfer Operations

Richard Mathies University of California, Berkeley T0279 Flight Testing of a Microfluidic Biochemical Analysis Lab-on-a-Chip

George Pantalos University of Louisville T0287 Preparations for a Suborbital Evaluation of a Human-Tended Surgical Fluid Management System

Hayden Taylor University of California, Berkeley T0293 Evaluation of Computed Axial Lithography for Rapid, Volumetric Additive Manufacturing Under Low-Gravity Conditions

Thomas Conboy Creare T0311 Lightweight, Hybrid Screen-Channel Device for Advanced Cryogenic Fluid Management

Hantang Qin Iowa State University T0325 3D Printing of Flexible Electronics for In-Space Manufacturing and Investigations via Microgravity Parabolic Flight Tests

Jed Storey NASA's Kennedy Space Center T0327 Propellant Mass Gauging in Microgravity with Electrical Capacitance Tomography

May 16–17, 2022 Zero Gravity Corporation G-FORCE ONE Thomas Valdez Teledyne Energy Systems T0273 Hydrogen Electrical Power System (HEPS)

Ranga Narayanan University of Florida T0278 Testing a Novel Technology for a Key Material Property Measurement – Application to Advanced Manufacturing in Space

Emilio Baglietto Massachusetts Institute of Technology T0283 Reduced Gravity Experiments to Advance CFD Boiling Models for Cryogenic Fluid Management Systems

Konstantinos Sierros West Virginia University T0294 Particle-Based Foams Spraying in Microgravity

June 27–28, 2022 Zero Gravity Corporation G-FORCE ONE David Miles University of Iowa T0207 CubeSat Articulated Boom Option Optimization in Microgravity (CABOOM)

Stephen Robinson University of California, Davis T0280 Zero-g Technology Demonstration of Low-Cost Three-Axis CubeSat Attitude Control with Hard Disk Drive Reaction Wheels

Stephen Robinson University of California, Davis T0290 Capturing Human Adaptations in Novel Gravitational Environments in Space (CHANGES)

Issam Mudawar Purdue University T0291 Reduced Gravity Experiments to Measure Cryogenic Two-Phase Heat Transfer Coefficients for Future In-Space Transfer Systems

Ram Prasad Ghandiraman Space Foundry T0312 Plasma Jet Printing for In-Space Manufacturing

July 8, 2022 Aerostar Zero-Pressure Balloon System Cristian Rodriguez Bronco Space Club at Cal Poly Pomona T0334 Bronco Ember: Autonomous Nascent Wildfire Detection and Prevention

July 28, 2022 Aerostar Zero-Pressure Balloon System Sara Jennings Orion Labs T0333 Quantum Machine Learning Enhanced Sensor Combination for Earth Observation (QMLS-EO)

August 3, 2022 Aerostar Zero-Pressure Balloon System Ben Gorr SEAK Lab at Texas A&M University T0335 Satellite for Natural and Artificial Plumes (SNAP)
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TECHNOLOGY 

TRANSITION 

HIGHLIGHTS

Space Mission Infusions 

and Commercialization

Technologies matured through flight testing with 

Flight Opportunities made progress in transitioning 

to space-based missions and commercial 

applications in FY2022. Such milestones highlight 

the impact of iterative testing on helping to 

increase the likelihood of success for these 

innovations – both in space and here on Earth. 

Preparing Optical Fiber Manufacturing for 

the International Space Station

Space Fibers 3 from FOMS, Inc., and the Orbital Fiber 

Optic Production Module (ORFOM) from Mercury Systems 

both aim to enable automated, on-demand manufacturing 

of optical fibers in space. Both systems leverage NASA 

suborbital research that demonstrated significant 

performance improvements in ZBLAN optical fibers (short for 

zirconium barium lanthanum aluminum sodium fluoride) when 

manufactured in zero gravity compared with fibers produced 

in ground-based labs. These superior fibers could be useful 

in many applications, such as telecommunications, lasers for 

medical and scientific uses, spectroscopy, thermal imaging, 

military applications, and more. 

Suborbital Flight Milestones

Flights on Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE 

parabolic aircraft enabled the research teams to validate 

hardware improvements for their fiber manufacturing systems 

as well as:

 Demonstrate the full manufacturing process at 0 g, 1 g, 

and lunar gravity

 Redesign a fiber preform processing capability

 Test two separate approaches to automating optical fiber 

draws to decrease astronaut interaction requirements

 Refine and rehearse crew instructions for station 

astronauts

Transition to Station Demonstration

As part of NASA’s In Space Production Applications (InSPA) 

project, both Space Fibers 3 and ORFOM transitioned to the 

International Space Station as part of a SpaceX Commercial 

Resupply Services mission (CRS-25), arriving July 16, 2022. 

The orbital demonstrations on the station are intended to 

enable InSPA to assess results and inform future hardware 

improvements and steps toward potential optical fiber 

manufacturing in space in the coming years.

Maturing Propellant Gauging for Space- and Earth-Based Applications

Carthage College’s modal propellant gauging (MPG) is a non-invasive, inexpensive, robust method designed to gauge settled and 

unsettled liquid propellant at resolutions of 1% for settled propellants and 2–4% for unsettled, sloshing propellants. The method 

is designed to address the needs of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft architectures, which require 

in-space gauging accuracy of 1% for remaining propellant mass and leak detection.

Suborbital Flight Milestones

Flights on Zero Gravity Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE 

parabolic aircraft and Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocketbased system have enabled researchers to:

 Demonstrate MPG’s ability to gauge at resolutions of 1% 

for settled propellant and 2–3% for unsettled, sloshing 

propellant

 Validate a computational fluid dynamics model of how 

modal gauging is affected by propellant slosh and other 

vehicle dynamics

 Develop models of the slosh dynamics of the Orion 

spacecraft propellant tanks

Commercialization Success

As a result of multiple suborbital flight tests supported by 

Flight Opportunities, Carthage College has achieved several 

commercialization successes with MPG:

 Airbus has adopted MPG for a one-year study as part 

of its zero-emission commercial passenger jet program. 

The study is the culmination of a project for which five 

Carthage College undergraduates won the prestigious 

Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2020. 

 Seattle-based Spaceflight is commercializing MPG for 

use on its Sherpa-class spacecraft via a Small Business 

Technology Transfer (STTR) grant with the U.S. Air Force. 

 NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) 

contractor Intuitive Machines has installed the MPG 

technology on its Nova-C lunar lander test articles.

“I’m grateful for the support from both Flight 

Opportunities and Zero Gravity Corporation over 

the years. Our recent successes show that all of this 

work is starting to translate into tangible results.” 

Kevin Crosby, Ph.D., principal investigator 

for MPG, Carthage College

(Left to right) Matthew Kathan, Dr. Victor Grubsky, and Avinash Vasudevan of 

Mercury Systems conduct tests on the latest generation of their optical fiber 

manufacturing hardware on a parabolic flight by Zero Gravity Corporation in 

November 2020. Credits: Mercury Systems

Carthage College students (left to right) Taylor Peterson, Alana King, Liam Carls, 

and Dalton Callow, take a moment to pose with the modal propellant gauging 

payload experiment during a parabolic flight in November 2021. Credits: Zero 

Gravity Corporation/Steve Boxall
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NEW TECHNOLOGY SELECTIONS

Identifying Innovations for Future Mission Needs

Leveraging a wide range of funding mechanisms, including prizes, challenges, solicitations, and cross-program 

collaboration (see page 20), Flight Opportunities identified and selected promising innovations in FY2022 for testing 

on commercial suborbital vehicles. Each selection aims to provide key capabilities that address technological gaps for 

future space missions.

NASA’s TechLeap Prize

In FY2022, winners of the first NASA TechLeap Prize – 

Autonomous Observation Challenge No. 1 – launched their 

payloads on high-altitude balloons just one year after the 

challenge was announced (details on pages 8–9). In addition 

to this speed to flight, another goal of the competition model 

was to identify and select new organizations and innovations 

that may not have previously been awarded funding through 

traditional solicitations. 

For 2022, the program worked with NASA’s entry, descent, 

and landing experts to develop a challenge statement that 

specified key technology gaps to be addressed in achieving 

the goal of landing in or near permanently shadowed regions 

of the Moon. The result was the Nighttime Precision 

Landing Challenge No.1, with three winners announced in 

July 2022:

 The Bronco Space Club at Cal Poly Pomona (Pomona, 

California): The team’s technology uses a light projector; 

light detection and ranging (lidar); and advances in 

computer vision, machine learning, and robotics to 

generate a map of lunar terrain.

 Falcon ExoDynamics (El Segundo, California): The 

company’s system uses a high-resolution camera, 

floodlight, small gimbal, and graphics processing unit to 

perform terrain sensing in the dark.

 University of South Florida’s Institute of Applied 

Engineering (Tampa, Florida): The institute’s solution 

uses commercial-off-the-shelf lidar sensors and 

simultaneous mapping algorithms to form a complete 

topographical map of a given search area.

NASA’s TechFlights Solicitation

As the Flight Opportunities program’s 

longest-standing funding mechanism, the 

TechFlights solicitation annually provides 

funding to researchers from industry, 

academia, and non-profit research 

institutes for flight testing of innovative technologies.

Selections for TechFlights 2021 were announced in early FY2022, providing NASA 

investments in demonstration of technologies for space exploration, scientific 

discovery, Earth observation, and space commerce activities with each awardee 

receiving up to $650,000. The awardees are the following.

Astrobotic Technology

Testing of a lidar-based hazard 

detection system for lunar and 

planetary landings will allow 

researchers to evaluate the sensor’s 

performance in an operational 

environment. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Astrobotic 

Technology’s Xodiac vertical takeoff 

vertical landing system

Blue Origin

The company will evaluate small, lowcost, ultra-wideband sensors as an 

alternative to conventional rendezvous 

and docking technologies, which are 

often expensive and bulky.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard rocket-based system

Carthage College

A student team will test piezoelectric 

sensors for their ability to accurately 

identify the location and distribution 

of the liquid surface during propellant 

transfer in microgravity. This capability 

is necessary for engine restart of 

spacecraft and for propellant transfer 

between in-space fuel depots and 

visiting spacecraft. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Zero Gravity 

Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE parabolic 

aircraft and Blue Origin’s New Shepard 

Center for Applied Space 

Technology

Center researchers will evaluate a new 

process and system for printing cells 

and bioink mixtures for applications in 

large-scale production of living cells 

and basic 3D cellular structures.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Zero Gravity 

Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE 

Ecoatoms

Researchers will test a new process 

for developing biosensor coatings, 

leveraging microgravity to manufacture 

smoother and more sensitive 

biosensors than can be produced on 

Earth.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard 

Researcher Support

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opportunities.

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webinar announcements.

“TechLeap has been a great learning experience for 

us... The skills we’ve developed – time management, 

working with technology vendors, NASA, and 

a flight provider – were incredibly valuable.” 

Cristian Rodriguez, principal investigator for 

Bronco Ember (see page 8), Cal Poly Pomona
18 19

NEW TECHNOLOGY SELECTIONS

Honeybee Robotics

The company will examine a system 

for testing viscous bubble behavior 

in lunar gravity conditions to increase 

researchers’ understanding of molten 

regolith electrolysis techniques that 

could be used to extract oxygen from 

lunar soil.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard 

Purdue University

This researcher-tended experiment 

will enable testing of a technique for 

modeling the behaviors of less toxic, 

“green” propellant to gather data on 

potential solutions for non-traditional 

propellant management.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Virgin Galactic’s 

SpaceShipTwo rocket-based system 

San Diego State University

Also part of the 2020 NASA SmallSat 

Technology Partnerships Initiative, 

the university’s phased-array antenna 

transceiver project aims to advance 

development of an antenna suitable 

for reliable lunar communication that is 

more efficient than currently available 

technologies.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Aerostar’s zeropressure high-altitude balloon system

University of Florida

University researchers plan to test 

a method for minimizing propellant 

boiloff using surface roughness by 

applying a thin-film coating to a 

cryogenic tank as a potential fuelconserving approach.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Zero Gravity 

Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE

Other NASA Program and Internal Technology Selections

Flight Opportunities hleps address flight testing needs for innovations funded by 

other NASA programs – including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and 

Game Changing Development. This includes technologies funded by other NASA 

programs in industry and academia as well as those developed by NASA innovators. 

The program selected several projects in FY2022 for future testing on commercial 

vehicles. 

Creare

As part of an SBIR Phase II-E grant, 

the company’s researchers plan to 

demonstrate functionality of key twophase pumped loop technologies in a 

microgravity environment with the aim 

of providing effective thermal control. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard 

Honeybee Robotics

The company’s researchers plan 

to test a new device that uses 

compressed gas to remove dust from 

the scientifically important subsurface 

of rocks, regolith-covered ices, critical 

equipment such as solar panels, and 

sealing surfaces.

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Blue Origin’s New 

Shepard

NASA’s Ames Research Center

Working in collaboration with the U.S. 

Forest Service, researchers plan to 

evaluate the technical, operational, 

and financial feasibility of using 

stratospheric balloon platforms 

to provide last-mile data and 

communications capabilities for remote 

incidents, including active wildfire 

management. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Aerostar’s 

Thunderhead balloon system

NASA’s Ames Research Center

Researchers plan to assess the viability 

of a small optical laser communication 

payload for use as a secure and 

assured communications method on 

stratospheric balloon platforms to 

support future advanced free-space 

optical communications on orbit. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Aerostar high-altitude 

balloon system 

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research 

Center

For this unique project, researchers 

plan to deploy a legacy vibration, 

temperature, and atmospheric 

sensor on a new launch system from 

SpinLaunch in an effort to test the flight 

environment of the system. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: SpinLaunch (new 

platform in development)

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

As part of NASA’s On-Demand 

Manufacturing of Electronics project, 

researchers have partnered with 

Sciperio and Techshot to assess the 

components of a custom designed 

nScript multi-material printer with an 

advanced toolplate that aims to enable 

creation of both printed electronics and 

metals with a single system. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Zero Gravity 

Corporation’s G-FORCE ONE

University of California, 

Los Angeles

Researchers will assess a highprecision, continuous-time, compact 

navigation module designed for 

cislunar and lunar missions, including 

inertial navigation for autonomous 

pinpoint landings and diverse surfaces. 

PLANNED TO FLY ON: Aerostar high-altitude 

balloon system

Innovators from Space Foundry tested a system designed for high-throughput plasma jet printing of conductive 

metal inks on parabolic flights in late 2021 and June 2022. The system is being evaluated as part of NASA’s OnDemand Manufacturing of Electronics project. Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation/Tasha Dixon

A New Dual-Anonymous 

Peer Review Process for 

Technology Selections

TechFlights 2022 was released in May 

2022, announcing up to $750,000 in 

funding per awardee. The addition 

of a dual-anonymous peer review 

process to this solicitation is aimed at 

decreasing unconscious bias in the 

proposal review process. Selections 

are expected in January 2023. 

“Each year, the group of 

technologies proposed for 

the TechFlights solicitation 

is more impressive, and 

this year’s selections address 

some of NASA’s critical 

technology gaps. In addition, 

we are pleased to see new 

researchers and organizations 

participating in TechFlights.” 

John Kelly, Senior Advisor, 

NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program
20 21

CROSS-PROGRAM COLLABORATION

In FY2022, Flight Opportunities continued to strengthen connections with a wide range of other NASA programs, 

providing access to suborbital flight tests through a variety of funding mechanisms to help advance technologies of 

value to NASA and industry. Highlights of these collaborations included the following.

The SpaceX Dragon space freighter, on its 25th Commercial Resupply Services 

mission, approaches the International Space Station carrying 5,800 pounds of 

new science experiments and crew supplies, including optical fiber manufacturing 

technologies that were matured through Flight Opportunities. Credits: NASA

Small Spacecraft Technology Program

Flight Opportunities increased collaboration with the Small 

Spacecraft Technology program in FY2022, adding support 

for commercial hosted orbital payload opportunities to the 

annual TechFlights solicitation.

Game Changing Development (GCD)

By providing access to suborbital flights, Flight Opportunities 

is helping to bolster GCD’s mission: to advance space 

technologies that may lead to entirely new approaches for 

NASA’s future space missions. Highlights of this support 

in FY2022 included progress toward a lunar gravity testing 

capability on Blue Origin’s New Shepard and flight tests of 

technologies under development by GCD’s On-Demand 

Manufacturing of Electronics (ODME) project.

Small Business Innovation Research and Small 

Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR)

Support for SBIR/STTR-funded technologies through 

suborbital flight testing helped advance their technology 

readiness levels, potentially leading to subsequent awards 

and, ultimately, infusion into NASA missions and/or 

commercialization. 

International Space Station Research 

Integration Office

Suborbital flight testing in FY2022 allowed for risk reduction 

and hardware validation for optical fiber manufacturing 

technologies that transitioned to the station for space-based 

demonstration (see page 14). 

Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Programs

Flight Opportunities continued collaborating with SMD 

programs in FY2022, with highlights including the addition 

of support for commercial suborbital flight testing as part 

of NASA’s Astrophysics Research and Analysis program 

and Heliophysics-Low Cost Access to Space through 

the agency’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth 

Sciences (ROSES) 2022 solicitation. 

SUPPORT FOR VEHICLE 

CAPABILITY ENHANCEMENTS

Through contracts, Space Act Agreements, and purchase of payload space, Flight Opportunities continued 

its support for capability enhancements for select commercial suborbital flight vehicles in FY2022. These new 

capabilities are expected to expand the options available to the space research community for flight testing. 

Recent activities included support for the following.

Masten Space Systems

Expansion of heavy-lift testing and capabilities for spacecraft 

lunar and Martian navigation and landing systems through 

development of Xogdor, a new vertical takeoff vertical landing 

vehicle, including:

 Defining vehicle requirements for increased payload 

capacity to 200 kg, increased altitude range of up to 

30 km, supersonic descent capability, and 

closed-loop control 

 Commenced vehicle design analysis

Blue Origin

Capabilities for testing in lunar gravity conditions on the 

New Shepard rocket-powered vehicle, including:

 Completion of critical design review 

 Progress toward qualification and manufacturing 

readiness review

 Selection of 13 NASA-funded payloads for flight testing in 

New Shepard’s lunar gravity conditions 

Rocket Lab

 Exploration of re-entry and recovery capabilities for small 

launch vehicles’ first stage 

UP Aerospace

 Development of the new Spyder 

Orbital vehicle, to include longer 

microgravity conditions, dedicated 

small payload launches for orbital 

missions, and planetary re-entry test 

environments

 Commenced a trade study in 

coordination with NASA Early Career 

Initiative’s Additive Manufacturing 

of Thermal Protection Systems 

project with the goal of future testing 

of advanced thermal protection 

systems as Spyder vehicle 

hypersonic payloads

An artist’s rendering of the new Xogdor 

rocket, which aims to test descent and 

landing technologies at high subsonic speeds. 

Credits: Masten Space Systems
22 23

EDUCATIONAL 

OUTREACH

Paving a Path for 

Space Education

Flight Opportunities continued to provide 

educational support for students from middle 

school through undergraduate levels in FY2022, 

leveraging a variety of funding mechanisms 

to provide hands-on experience with space 

technology experiments. 

Team members from TechRise winner Sewanhaka 

High School in Floral Park, New York, work together to 

assemble an integrated circuit as part of a payload that 

they will test on an Aerostar high-altitude balloon in 2023. 

Credits: Sewanhaka High School

TechRise: Reaching a Diverse Group 

of Young Students

Students from University of 

California, Davis test a system 

designed to train astronauts to 

limit head movements in order 

to mitigate spaceflight-induced 

motion sickness on a parabolic 

flight in June 2022. Credits: Zero 

Gravity Corporation/Tasha Dixon

Launched in 2021, NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge 

invites teams of sixth- to 12th-grade students to design, 

build, and launch experiments on suborbital vehicles. Nearly 

600 teams applied to the inaugural challenge, representing 

5,000 students from across the country. 

The 57 winning teams were announced in January 2022, 

hailing from 37 U.S. states and territories and including more 

than 600 students. Winning proposals included:

 Measuring greenhouse gases

 Space farm irrigation systems

 Lunar dust mitigation

 Exploring human health in space

 Understanding the effects of microgravity on liquids, 

3D printing, and more

Winning teams each received $1,500 to build their 

experiments and a NASA-funded spot to test them, either 

on suborbital rocket flights operated by Blue Origin or UP 

Aerospace or on a high-altitude balloon flight from Aerostar. 

Flights for the first cohort of winning experiments are 

expected to commence in early 2023. 

The next TechRise Student Challenge was announced in 

August 2022, and winners are expected to be announced in 

January 2023. 

TechFlights Educational Opportunities

The 2022 TechFlights solicitation continued to include 

additional funds for educational opportunities, providing 

resources for colleges and universities to offer handson experience with suborbital flight tests for K-12 or 

undergraduate students. Working alongside a teacher, 

professor, or faculty member, these teams gain field 

experience to complement classroom learning. The 2022 

solicitation allowed up to 20% of the total proposed funding 

to support educational activities. 

“This is what education is all about. As 

educators, we provide opportunities for our 

students to go beyond the classroom and 

into the real world. These four students 

from a small, rural farming community in 

Northwest Ohio tackled this tech challenge. 

They will be one of 57 teams in the nation 

to launch their experiment on a suborbital 

vehicle. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

Sheila Killam, STEAM (science, technology, 

engineering, arts, and math) teacher at Fayette 

Junior/Senior High School, Fayette, Ohio

Support for NASA’s CubeSat Launch 

Initiative (CSLI)

Teams from universities, high schools, and non-profit 

organizations gain exposure to orbital flight testing through 

CSLI, enabling low-cost avenues for conducting scientific 

and technology demonstrations on CubeSats. In addition to 

financial support, Flight Opportunities provided suborbital 

testing for payloads supported by CSLI in FY2022 – an 

important step in helping teams assess the performance of 

their payloads and make necessary improvements before 

launching them to orbit. 
24 25
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Armstrong Flight Research Center 

Edwards, California 93523

www.nasa.gov/flightopportunities

www.nasa.gov

 NP-2022-01-64-AFRC

University of Louisville researchers evaluate a spacebased surgical system and medical suction device on 

a parabolic flight with Zero Gravity Corporation in May 

2022. Credits: Zero Gravity Corporation/Steve Boxall