NASA Opportunities to Advance Tipping Point Space Technologies through Public-Private Partnerships with American Industry

NASA
announces opportunities for public-private partnerships to achieve the
agency’s strategic goals for expanding capabilities and opportunities in
space. NASA seeks to enable industry
to develop and qualify selected technologies for market through the
solicitation​ titled “Utilizing Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Tipping Point Technologies” released on November 30.

NASA’s
Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is seeking
industry-developed commercial space technologies that are at a “tipping
point” in their development cycle. For the purpose
of this Appendix, a space technology is at a Tipping Point if:

• An investment in a ground demonstration or flight demonstration will result in:
  • a significant advancement of the technology’s maturation, and
  • a significant improvement in the offerors’ ability to successfully bring the technology to market, and,
• previous
  investments have been made to mature the technology (e.g., venture
  capital, corporate investment, etc.) in preparation for
  commercialization,
  demonstrating a pre-existing plan to commercialize the technology, and,
• the technology is at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 4 at time of submission of the preliminary proposal.

For
this release of the Tipping Point solicitation, offerors have the
option to address broader STMD Strategic Thrust (ST) areas. These ST
areas do include descriptions of some technologies
of particular interest to NASA. However, offerors are not limited to
the technologies of particular interest and may address technologies
that align with broader aspects of the ST areas.

This Tipping Point Appendix is soliciting space technology proposals in the following STMD Strategic Thrust (ST) areas:

• ST1: Expand Utilization of Space
  –​ develop technologies that
  enable new in-space capabilities for future NASA missions, other
  government agencies, and that have viable commercial applications.
• ST2:
  Enable Efficient and Safe Transportation Into and Through Space –
  development and demonstration of technologies to enable lower cost,
  reliable
  access to space, and to advance in-space transportation capabilities
  with a focus on improving efficiency and reducing trip times for human
  and robotic missions.
  
• ST3:
  Increase Access to Planetary Surfaces – enable landing larger payloads
  on planetary surfaces more precisely and safely, and improving the
  performance
  and reliability of Earth entry systems.

Each
proposal to the Tipping Point solicitation must be spearheaded by U.S.
for-profit entity. Funding will occur through milestone payments as part
of firm-fixed-price contracts that
require a minimum 25 percent contribution from the industry partner.

The
complete solicitation may be found online at the NASA Solicitation and
Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES):
https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/. The Mandatory Preliminary Proposal submissions are due by January 30, 2018. Questions and comments about this solicitation should be submitted via email to:
HQ-STMD-TippingPointAppendix@nasaprs.com.