ISS National Laboratory Announces Funding of Up to $750,000 for Technology Development in Low Earth Orbit

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida., May 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory is soliciting flight concepts for technology development that would utilize the orbiting laboratory’s space environment. This request, “Technology Development and applied research leveraging the ISS National Laboratory, “ is open to a wide range of technology areas, including chemical and material synthesis in space, translational medicine, advanced computing in space, and ISAM (space servicing, assembly and manufacturing). It also encompasses the application of space station remote sensing data to improve geospatial analysis for commercial purposes.

The development and demonstration of space technologies is a strategic priority for the ISS National Laboratory because it provides an opportunity for accelerated technology maturation that could enable advancements to improve life on Earth and expand commerce in Earth orbit bass (LEO).

Through this research announcement, respondents can propose to use the unique environment of the orbiting platform to develop, test or evolve products and processes that have demonstrated potential to produce direct or indirect economic impact positive and positive in the short term. Flight concepts selected through this research announcement may receive funding to enable mission integration and operational support for projects that will be implemented on the space station.

This wanted announcement will follow a two-step proposal submission process. Before being invited to submit a full proposal, all interested researchers must submit a Step 1: Concept Summary for review. The Center for the Advancement of Space Science^™head of the ISS National Laboratory, organize a webinar on Wednesday, May 22 at 1 p.m. EDT to discuss the space station facilities and capabilities associated with this research announcement.

Step 1: Concept summaries must be submitted by the end of the day on July 12, 2024. Step 2: Full proposals from those invited to submit will be submitted by the end of the day. October 2, 2024. Several projects are expected to be rewarded through this research announcement with up to $750,000 of the total funding available.

Priority areas for this solicitation include, but are not limited to:

• Hardware prototype testing: innovations filling gaps in hardware product development and the proliferation of emerging technologies in electronics; semiconductors; nanotechnologies; robotics; sensors; and communications, remote sensing, computing and satellite technology.
• Process improvements: using the space station as a testbed to advance the development of facilities for high-throughput surveys or to demonstrate new spaceflight research and development methodologies, or using space data to facilitate the modeling of industrial systems.
• Advanced Materials: Current research in advanced materials that focuses on the development of next-generation production methods, testing of new materials, and exploitation of materials with unique properties.
• Translational medicine: validation of accelerated disease modeling, analysis of macromolecular structures for drug design, and demonstration of new drug delivery and diagnostic services.

For example, a project from University of Southern Californiaawarded as part of an earlier ISS National Laboratory research announcement focused on technological advancement, recently tested a system to autonomously dock and detach CubeSats on the space station. The CLINGERS system was designed to combine a mechanical docking system with rendezvous sensors to enable docking with active and passive objects. Technologies like this could make it easier to safely move objects through space, which is critical to the development of an orbiting construction ecosystem.

To learn more about this opportunity, including how to submit a Stage 1: Concept Summary, please visit search announcement web page. To learn more about the ISS National Laboratory and the science it sponsors, please visit our website.

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About the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory:
The International Space Station (ISS) is a unique laboratory that enables research and technological development not possible on Earth. As a public service company, the ISS National Laboratory^® enables researchers to leverage this multi-user facility to improve quality of life on Earth, evolve space business models, advance the scientific knowledge of the future workforce, and develop a sustainable and scalable market in orbit low earth. Through this orbiting national laboratory, research resources on the ISS are available to support non-NASA science, technology, and education initiatives from U.S. government agencies, academic institutions, and the private sector. The Center for the Advancement of Space Science^™ (CASIS^™) manages the ISS National Laboratory, under a cooperative agreement with NASA, facilitating access to its permanent microgravity research environment, a powerful observation point in low Earth orbit and extreme conditions and varied space. To learn more about the ISS National Laboratory, visit our website.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, CASIS accepts donations from businesses and individuals to help advance science in space for the benefit of humanity. For more information, visit our donations page.

SOURCE International Space Station National Laboratory