ISSUE: 61 | April 2023

In This Issue

News

࡟ One-on-One Meetings with Flight Opportunities Team Now Available

Community of Practice

࡟ April 5 webinar: Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Opportunities

࡟ NASA Releases TechFlights Pre-Solicitation Summary

࡟ Available for Review: Draft Solicitation for Commercial Flights for Space Technology

࡟ Now Open: MUREP Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR)

࡟ Now Open: Research Opportunities for International Space Station Utilization

Resources

࡟ TechFlights Informational Video Now Available 

࡟ NASA’s Science Mission Directorate Expands Access to Commercial Suborbital Vehicles for 

Flight Testing

Events

࡟ Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Spring Meeting, April 24-25, 2023

࡟ LSIC Workshop: Space Technology Competitive Opportunities, April 26, 2023

࡟ CubeSat Developers Workshop, April 25-27, 2023

Enjoy!

The Flight Opportunities team
News

One-on-One Meetings with Flight Opportunities Team Now Available

Interested in learning more about Flight Opportunities? Request a time to ask 

questions of the Flight Opportunities team and understand if your work might 

be a fit for the program. 

Appointments are available in 20-minute increments through mid-April.

Please sign-up early! And check out the following information available on the 

Flight Opportunities website that may help you prepare for your conversation:

• Program resources for researchers, including a conversation prep tool

• Avenues for accessing flight tests

• Community of Practice webinars

Select an available appointment to request a time.

Community of Practice

April 5 Webinar: Commercially Enabled Space Science in TechFlights 2023

Wednesday, April 5, 2023 

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

Join us for this month’s Community of Practice webinar with Dr. 

Lisa Carnell, the Program Scientist for Translational Research in the 

Biological and Physical Sciences Division in NASA’s Science Mission 

Directorate (SMD). This year, NASA’s Flight Opportunities program is 

collaborating with SMD’s Commercially Enabled Rapid Space Science 

(CERISS) project for the 2023 TechFlights solicitation. 

One of the two topics anticipated for the solicitation addresses 

technologies that can support the CERISS initiative, which aims to 

develop transformative research capabilities with the commercial 

space industry to increase the pace of research. With the 2023 

TechFlights solicitation expected to be released soon, this webinar 

presents a timely opportunity for researchers to learn more about this topic.

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: 761 774 938#

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.
Opportunities

NASA Releases TechFlights Pre-Solicitation Summary

NASA has released a pre-solicitation summary for TechFlights 2023, and anticipates a release of the 

solicitation no earlier than April 24th.

The purpose of TechFlights is to provide funding for the rapid testing or demonstration of space 

technologies in relevant environments. Payloads may be tested aboard flights on U.S. commercial 

suborbital rockets, rocket-powered lander vehicles, high-altitude balloons, aircraft following reducedgravity flight profiles, and orbital platforms.

Emphasis will be placed on the overall impact to be achieved through the proposed work. Emphasis 

will also be placed on decreasing the amount of time between award and flight testing with a goal of 

increasing the pace of technology development.

See the full synopsis for details on the anticipated 2023 TechFlights topics, including the program’s 

specific areas of interest that align with the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s strategic 

technology framework and a collaboration with the Science Mission Directorate’s Commercially 

Enabled Rapid Space Science (CERISS) initiative.

Available for Review: Space Technology Commercial Flight Solicitation

NASA recently released a draft of the Suborbital/Hosted Orbital Flight and Payload Integration 

Services 4 solicitation. The new solicitation will replace contracts for existing services and seeks to 

add new capabilities – including hosting payloads in orbit and flying NASA researchers on suborbital 

flights – which will expand opportunities for a wider range of commercial companies to participate.

While the comment period is closed, the full draft solicitation remains available for review. The final 

Request for Proposals (RFP) is expected in the coming weeks.

Now Open: MUREP Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR)

NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) 

is seeking proposals from Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) to strengthen and develop research 

capacity and infrastructure through the MUREP Space Technology Artemis Research (M-STAR) 

funding opportunity. Successful proposals will be funded as three-year cooperative agreements for up 

to $300,000 per year.

Proposals should describe the relevance of the proposed work to NASA’s strategic goals and 

objectives for STEM engagement and to research priorities of Science and Technology Mission 

Directorate (STMD) and NASA’s exploration campaign, such as the Artemis Program. It is also 

recommended that proposals reference elements of department, college, and/or university strategic 

plans, research priorities, and/or other pertinent documents that support these goals.

View the solicitation.

Proposals due: April 10, 2023
Opportunities (cont)

Now Open: Research Opportunities for International Space Station 

Utilization

NASA has announced an opportunity for U.S. entities seeking to develop and demonstrate In-Space 

Production Applications (InSPA) on the International Space Station (ISS) national laboratory. The 

opportunity is available through an ISS NASA Research Announcement (NRA) for InSPA concepts in 

the area of tissue engineering and biomanufacturing.

NASA is requesting the submission of white papers followed by proposals (by invitation only) that 

focus on applications that use space to serve markets on Earth. Proposals should demonstrate the 

potential of space to produce superior biomaterials and products over what can be achieved on Earth 

for important terrestrial applications. A future call for proposals will focus on the areas of advanced 

materials and inorganic products.

View the solicitation.

White papers due: April 7, 2023

Resources

TechFlights Informational Video Now Available

To help researchers new to NASA’s TechFlights solicitation quickly 

understand this upcoming funding opportunity, Flight Opportunities 

has produced a 6-minute video that explains:

• The basics of NASA TechFlights

• Who can apply and what technologies are eligible

• How much funding is provided and how it can be used

• The proposal process

View the TechFlights informational video.

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate Expands Access to Commercial 

Suborbital Vehicles for Flight Testing

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) has recently expanded the 

capabilities available through the Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 

solicitation. In addition to the current capabilities available via the traditional NASA-provided suborbital 

vehicles, SMD now leverages NASA-contracted commercial suborbital providers via the Science 

Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Flight Opportunities program.

A suite of commercial capabilities was incorporated into the ROSES (B.9) Heliophysics – Low Cost 

Access to Space (H-LCAS) and (D.3) Astrophysics Research and Analysis (APRA) solicitations. This 

expanded portfolio of rocket-powered vehicles and high-altitude balloons offers H-LCAS and APRA 

suborbital flight testing 
researchers additional suborbital platform options, expanded capabilities, and higher flight cadence to 

enable innovative suborbital investigations and technology testing. For more information, visit https://

science.nasa.gov/researchers/suborbital.

NASA-contracted commercial suborbital flight platforms available in ROSES
Events

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium Spring Meeting

April 24-25, 2023

Laurel, Maryland

The Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) Spring Meeting will focus on the vision for a 

sustained presence on the lunar surface. Panels, discussions, and working sessions will include 

topics such as long-term use cases for infrastructure on the lunar surface, technology developments, 

and a new white paper that aims to capture the community’s perspective on the infrastructure and 

technology developments needed to support transition from a mostly NASA-supported presence 

to industry and other public and private participants. The meeting location is the Johns Hopkins 

University Applied Physics Lab.

LSIC Workshop: Space Technology Competitive Opportunities | April 26, 2023

This LSIC event is a follow-on to the LSIC Spring Meeting. It will focus on NASA Space Technology 

Mission Directorate (STMD) solicited proposal opportunities and community resources. Workshop 

content includes:

• Components and requirements of various NASA STMD proposal opportunities

• Advice-based panel discussion and Q&A from previously successful STMD proposal awardees

• General knowledge about the NASA funding process

Space is limited for this in-person event. Early registration is encouraged. 

CubeSat Developer’s Workshop

April 25-27, 2023

San Luis Obispo, California

The CubeSat Developers Workshop is an annual three-day global small satellite conference hosted 

at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Developers from academia and industry 

will share research and experiences developing small satellites. Session topics range from emerging 

technologies and new developments in the field to mission success stories and current design 

considerations.

Flights Opportunities Program Manager Danielle McCulloch will be presenting at 2 pm PT on 

Wednesday, April 26. Stop by the booths to visit NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program!

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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