Smallsat Technology Partnerships

The summary for the Smallsat Technology Partnerships grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the NASA Ames Research Center, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Smallsat Technology Partnerships: This synopsis was posted previously on 20 June 2015 under solicitation NNH15ZOA001N-15STP_E1. Its number has been modified slightly to accomodate posting of this synopsis on grants.gov. No other changes have been made to this synopsis from earlier postings on NAIS, but this supercedes those.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has released a solicitation, titled Smallsat Technology Partnerships (STP), as an appendix to the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) umbrella NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2015 (SpaceTech-REDDI-2015), on April 20, 2015. The solicitation is available by opening the NSPIRES homepage at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/ , selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, finally, selecting “Smallsat Technology Partnerships (STP).”

STMD, and the Small Spacecraft Technology Program in particular, seek proposals from U.S. colleges and universities in collaboration with NASA through award of cooperative agreements. Projects may be for ground-based technology development or development of spacecraft or payloads for suborbital, balloon or orbital space flight technology demonstrations.

The objectives of the Smallsat Technology Partnerships (STP) are to: • Engage the unique talents and fresh perspectives of the university community to develop new technologies and capabilities for small spacecraft or to use small spacecraft as a development and demonstration platform for more broadly applicable technologies. • Share NASA experience and expertise in relevant university projects. • Increase support to university student efforts in small spacecraft technology through funding and collaboration with NASA, to foster a new generation of innovators for NASA and the nation. • Engage NASA personnel across the agency in the rapid, agile, and cost-conscious small spacecraft development approaches that have evolved in the university community.

The goals of STP include collaboration with university teams that have experience in small spacecraft development and also extension of support to colleges and universities that have little or no previous involvement in this field. Colleges and universities with experience in small spacecraft development are encouraged to team with other college and universities to address these dual goals. In addition, collaboration with a NASA Center or NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a key feature of these STP projects.

This appendix is soliciting proposals for projects in the following specific topic areas:

Topic 1: Precise attitude control and pointing systems for cubesats. Topic 2: Power generation, energy storage, and thermal management systems for small spacecraft. Topic 3: Simple low-cost deorbit systems. Topic 4: Communications and tracking systems and networks.

Appropriate technologies for development must have a starting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 3 (analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept) and no more than 6 (system/sub-system model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment).

All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES or through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) by an authorized organizational representative. Notices of Intent (not mandatory) are due by May 20, 2015. Proposals are due on or before June 8, 2015. Detailed submission instructions are provided in the solicitation. Potential proposers and their proposing organizations are urged to familiarize themselves with the submission system(s), ensure they are registered in NSPIRES, and submit the required proposal materials well in advance of the deadline. The estimated ceiling on an individual cooperative agreement award is $200,000 and the estimated total program funding is $1,600,000.


Comments and questions may be submitted by e-mail by May 20, 2015 to: Rachel Khattab, [email protected]. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.