ISSUE: 64 | July 2023

In This Issue

News

࡟ NASA Seeks Proposals for Space Technology Flight Test Services

࡟ Flight Opportunities on Recent “Small Steps, Giant Leaps” Podcasts

Recent Flights

࡟ NASA TechRise Student Teams Take Flight

Opportunities

࡟ Coming Soon: NASA TechRise 2023-24

Community of Practice

࡟ August 2 Webinar: Practicing Fly-Fix-Fly: Re-flight Opportunity Through the NASA 

TechLeap Prize

Events

࡟ 12th Annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC), 

July 31-August 3, 2023

࡟ 37th Annual Small Spacecraft Conference, August 5-10, 2023

࡟ NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Symposium, September 19-21, 2023

࡟ ASCEND, October 23-25, 2023

࡟ Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR), 

November 14-18, 2023

Enjoy!

The Flight Opportunities team
News

NASA Seeks Proposals for Space Technology Flight Test Services

NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center has released a final request for proposal (RFP) for 

Suborbital/Hosted Orbital Flight and Payload Integration Services 4. 

The new solicitation is designed to replace contracts for existing flight test services and seeks to add 

new capabilities, including hosting payloads in orbit and flying NASA researchers on suborbital flights. 

It aims to increase available testing options for researchers to advance their technologies and expand 

opportunities for a wider range of commercial companies to support suborbital and orbital flight 

testing for NASA. 

This contract will be managed by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, in cooperation with the 

agency’s Small Spacecraft Technology program. Flights and other services solicited will be available 

for NASA internal use across the agency as well as for use by other government agencies.

Key dates and deadlines: 

࡟ Industry day (virtual): August 1, 2023 (Time and registration link will be posted at SAM.gov at a 

later date) 

࡟ Questions due: 12:00 pm Pacific on August 7, 2023 

࡟ Proposals due: 12:00 pm Pacific on August 28, 2023 

Visit full proposal page.

Read the NASA announcement.

Small Steps, Giant Leaps Podcasts

NASA’s “Small Steps, Giant Leaps” podcast celebrates program and 

project managers, engineers, scientists, and thought leaders working to 

advance aeronautics and space exploration.

Add these episodes to your summer listening list! 

Flight Opportunities – Rapid Demonstration of Space 

Technologies

Flight Opportunities Program Manager Danielle McCulloch describes how the program rapidly 

demonstrates technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce 

through suborbital testing with industry flight providers. Listeners learn about:

࡟ Upcoming Flight Opportunities test flights

࡟ Available mechanisms for innovators to flight test technologies

࡟ Technology gaps NASA is addressing through Flight Opportunities

› Listen to the episode.
News (cont)

TechLeap Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge

NASA TechLeap Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge Manager Greg Peters discusses the goals 

of the lunar landing challenge, the difficulties the challenge winners must address in their technology 

solutions, the timeline and development speed that is central to the challenge, and more.

› Listen to the episode.

Recent Flights

NASA TechRise Student Teams Take Flight

Students from 20 middle and high schools watched as their experiments launched aboard an Aerostar 

high-altitude balloon on June 14 as part of NASA’s TechRise Student Challenge. The flight is part of a 

series of suborbital flight tests for TechRise that will continue through the summer.

Led by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program

and administered by Future Engineers, TechRise 

gives student teams a chance to design and build 

science and technology experiments for flight.

“Flight test is a critical milestone along the 

path of technology development and scientific 

discovery, and is essential for tackling some 

of the most pressing challenges NASA faces.” 

said Danielle McCulloch, Program Manager for 

Flight Opportunities at Armstrong Flight Research 

Center in Edwards, California. “These student 

payloads address important questions about 

space and our home planet, and they represent 

months of skill-building, cooperation, challenges, 

and accomplishments.”

Two additional flight tests are expected this 

month, each with experiments from 30 middle 

and high schools. Stay tuned for more details on 

upcoming flight tests and read on for information 

about how students can get involved in a future 

NASA TechRise Student Challenge.

Read the full NASA feature.
Opportunities

Coming Soon: NASA TechRise 2023-24

The next NASA TechRise Student Challenge will launch 

in August! The Challenge invites student teams in grades 

six to 12 to develop, build, and launch science and 

technology experiments. In the 2022-23 challenge, 60 

winning teams received $1,500 to build their experiment and an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored 

high-altitude balloon flight operated by a commercial provider.

Watch your inbox for more information and share information with your networks to help spread the 

word to students and educators.

Register for Challenge updates and volunteer to judge entries.

Community of Practice

Practicing Fly-Fix-Fly: Re-flight Opportunity Through NASA TechLeap Prize

Wednesday, August 2

10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. PDT

Principal investigator Ben Gorr from 

the SEAK (Systems Engineering, 

Architecture, and Knowledge) Lab at 

Texas A&M University will speak to 

his experience as a winner of NASA’s 

first TechLeap Prize, Autonomous 

Observation Challenge No. 1, as well 

as his team’s recent opportunity to 

re-fly their technology on a stationkeeping high-altitude balloon flight. 

Joined by Flight Opportunities team 

members, presenters will explore 

the “fly-fix-fly” ethos of the Flight Opportunities program and highlight best practices for quickly 

advancing space technologies while responding to unexpected challenges and collaborating with 

fellow innovators.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer or mobile app

Click here to join the meeting

Or call in (audio only)

+ 1 256-715-9946

Phone Conference ID: 161 583 405# 

Aerostar crew inflate a high-altitude balloon in preparation for flight 

testing three TechLeap Autonomous Observation Challenge technologies 

on May 24, 2023. Credits: Aerostar

› See all Community of Practice webinars

Do you have ideas or suggestions for a future Community of Practice topic? We’d love to hear your 

thoughts. Email us at NASA-FlightOpportunities@mail.nasa.gov to tell us what you’d like to see.
Events

12th Annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference 

(ISSRDC)

July 31-August 3

Seattle, Washington

ISSRDC connects scientists who are advancing their R&D goals with space community leaders in 

academia, industry, and government agencies. Technical sessions, panel discussions, and lightening 

talks will highlight space station research involving materials testing, pharmaceutical development, 

fundamental science, in-space manufacturing, and more. Don’t miss the Flight Opportunities 

presentation during the Technology Development and Demonstration session on Wednesday, August 2!

37th Annual Small Satellite Conference

August 5-10, 2023

Logan, Utah

Attendees at this annual conference will explore future missions and delve into key technology drivers, 

operational constructs, and activities that inform and secure the success of small satellite missions at 

scale. Members of the Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology program teams will be 

presenting on current opportunities and resources, so visit the NASA booth and watch the conference 

schedule to connect with them.

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2023 Symposium

September 19-21, 2023

Houston, Texas

NASA’s NIAC Program seeks innovative, technically credible advanced concepts that could one day 

change the possible in aeronautics and space. The portfolio addresses diverse research areas including: 

Revolutionary Exploration Systems; Novel Propulsion, Human Systems & Architectures for Extreme 

Environments; Sensors, and Imaging. This year’s symposium will feature progress presentations from 

currently funded Phase I-III fellows and keynote addresses from government officials, scientists, and 

visionary thinkers.

ASCEND

October 23-25

Las Vegas, Nevada

ASCEND connects the civil, commercial, and national security space sectors, along with adjacent 

industries, to embrace the opportunities and address the challenges that come with increased activity 

in space. The conference enables technical exchanges, debates, and collaboration to help forge a 

sustainable off-world future. Members of the Flight Opportunities and Small Spacecraft Technology 

program teams will lead a discussion on the complementary role that suborbital flight testing and orbital 

platforms hosting payloads play in the rapid testing of space technologies. 

Annual Meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR)

November 14-18, 2023

Washington, D.C.

The ASGSR annual meeting brings together the biological and physical space sciences community 

to share research, build collaborations, and discuss emerging issues in the field. ASGSR welcomes 

scientists and engineers from all career stages. The Flight Opportunities team will have a session at the 

meeting. Stay tuned for details. 
Have ideas or feedback for the Flight Opportunities newsletter? 

Drop us a line at: 

NASA-FlightOpportunities@mail.nasa.gov

STAY CONNECTED: 

NASA Flight Opportunities Program

Flight Opportunities is part of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

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