Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

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NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Session will start at 10 a.m. PT – Please mute your microphone and turn off your camera

Community of Practice Webinar Series – April 5, 2023

Stephan Ord, Chief Technologist, NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program

Lisa Carnell, Ph.D., Program Scientist for Translational Research, 

Biological and Physical Sciences Division

Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

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NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to the Community of Practice Webinar Series!

First, a bit of housekeeping...

• Please mute your microphone and turn off your camera

• Today’s session will be recorded

• Recordings for this and all future sessions will be posted on the Flight 

Opportunities website

• Please engage!

• Use the chat throughout the session to ask questions

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

2

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Welcome to the Community of Practice Webinar Series!

Flight Opportunities hopes these webinars will enable researchers, 

program staff, and flight providers to connect informally and share 

information

• Designed to distill and share the most important lessons learned to:

• Increase the impact of suborbital flight tests

• Transfer best practices

• Optimize the experience of current and prospective program participants

• Part of a broad effort to capture, organize, and communicate lessons learned 

by suborbital researchers

• An opportunity to hear from subject matter experts on best practices for 

preparing for suborbital flight tests

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NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Today’s Speakers

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Stephan Ord

Chief Technologist

NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program

Dr. Lisa Carnell

Program Scientist for Translational Research

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate,

Biological and Physical Sciences Division

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

3

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Community of Practice

April 2023 | Stephan Ord

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WITH SMALL SPACECRAFT 

The Small Spacecraft Technology program expands the ability to 

execute unique missions through rapid development and 

demonstration of capabilities for small spacecraft applicable to 

exploration, science and the commercial space sector.

THROUGH SUBORBITAL FLIGHT

The Flight Opportunities program rapidly demonstrates promising 

technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion 

of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight 

providers.

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

4

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Flights of Opportunity:

• In-Space Manufacturing / 

ISS Program Office

• SMD 

• ROSES

• Human Research Program

• Biological and Physical 

Sciences

• Sub-C

• EPSCoR

• SBIR/STTR

• Intergovernmental support 

(Department of Defense, 

USDA)

• Reflights

Includes topic areas that address agency 

and mission goals; up to $1M to purchase 

flights on suborbital or hosted 

orbital platforms directly from any eligible 

U.S. commercial flight provider

Challenges addressing specific NASA 

technology needs; previous awards have 

been up to $650K to build payloads, plus 

access to a suborbital flight test 

Competition to inspire the next generation 

of space researchers; offers hands-on 

insight into the design and test process 

used by NASA-supported researchers

Through collaborative internal and 

external relationships, the program takes 

advantage of opportunities to flight test 

valuable space technologies

FLIGHTS OF 

OPPORTUNITY

FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES MECHANISMS

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Commercial Vehicles Make Flight Opportunities Possible

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Rocket-Powered Vehicles High-Altitude Balloons Parabolic Flights

Vertical Takeoff Vertical 

Landing (VTVL) Vehicles

Orbital Platforms 

Hosting Payloads

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

5

NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

Best practices for preparing for a solicitation

Leverage the Flight Opportunities website.

• Review Q&A presentation from prior solicitation.

• Check out the Resources page on the website, which has program factsheets, annual reports, and 

more.

• Review previous solicitations, keeping in mind that each solicitation may vary.

Subscribe to the Flight Opportunities newsletter and monitor NSPIRES to keep 

up with the latest news about calls and solicitations.

Gather your proposal information and line up colleagues to help with peer 

reviews.

Reach out to fellow community members.

9 www.nasa.gov/flightopportunities

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NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

www.nasa.gov

NASA Flight Opportunities

Community of Practice

April 2023 | Lisa Carnell, Ph.D.

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

6

Commercially-Enabled RapId Space 

Science (CERISS)

Flight Opportunities

Community of Practice Webinar

Lisa Carnell, PhD

Program Scientist for Translational Research

Biological and Physical Sciences Division

NASA HQ

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CommerciallyEnabled RapId

Space Science 

(CERISS)│Overview

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•Develop transformative research capabilities with commercial space 

industry to dramatically increase pace of research

Focus Area

•Conduct Scientist Astronaut Missions (SAMs) on the ISS and Commercial 

LEO Destinations

•Develop automated hardware for experiments beyond low Earth orbit 

(e.g., lunar surface)

Long-Range Goals

•The pace of ISS research is too slow for OGAs and industry; it takes years 

to plan, develop, launch, operate, return samples and begin the cycle 

again.

Motivation

•New capabilities for platforms and payload are being developed now by 

commercial space in preparation for the transition from ISS in 2030

•There are gaps in the development of capabilities for in situ analysis and in situ experiment preparation

•Private Astronaut Missions provide a new mechanism for hyperspecialized researchers to conduct research in LEO

Context

•10- to 100- fold faster pace of research for a wide range of research 

sponsored by BPS, NASA Human Research Program, OGAs, and industry

•Increases demand for R&D in low Earth orbit, facilitating growth of 

commercial space industry

Benefits

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Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Stephan Ord

Lisa Carnell

April 5, 2023

Community of Practice Webinar Series

NASA Flight Opportunities

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/flightopportunities/community-of-practice

7

Contact Information

Lisa Carnell, PhD

Program Scientist for Translational Research

Biological and Physical Sciences Division

NASA HQ

Lisa.a.scottcarnell@nasa.gov

Updates related to CERISS:

https://science.nasa.gov/biologicalphysical/commercial

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NASA FLIGHT OPPORTUNITIES

14 www.nasa.gov

Thank you! 

Flight Opportunities website: 

http://nasa.gov/flightopportunities

Contact us:

NASA-FlightOpportunities@mail.nasa.gov

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