O F F I C E O F T H E C H I E F T E C H N O L O G I S T

Dr. Laguduva Kubendran (LK)Program Executive, Flight Opportunities ProgramNASA Headquarters

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Flight Opportunities Overview

Level II Program Office: DFRC

Notional Acquisition Approach

• CRuSR – Solicitation of commercial flight and payload integration services on operational and developmental suborbital platforms; RFI release Dec 21, 2010; Solicitation release Q2 FY’11

• FAST – Utilize existing Zero-G contract for payload accommodation on commercial parabolic flights

• Open call to researchers to gain access to CRuSR and FAST platforms to test technologies in a relevant space environment; Call released Dec 21, 2010

Awards

• Parabolic flights: FY11 up to 2 flight weeks/year with up to 15 payloads/flight week

• Suborbital flights: Multiple $M of flights and services purchased through multiple vendors (subject to Congressional funding)

Collaboration

• Suppliers: Industry and emerging commercial suborbital platform providers supply flights to access simulated space environments

• Users: Industry, Academia, Government researchers propose technology payloads to be flown on procured flights

Objective: Provide flight opportunities in reduced-gravity and high-altitude environments toward maturation of technology for application in future space missions. The Flight Opportunities Program combines the FY10 FAST and CRuSR efforts previously managed by NASA’s Innovative Partnership Program. Goal of expanding program to other platforms and test environments in FY12.

• CRuSR will procure commercial suborbital space transportation and payload integration services to provide 3-4 minutes of microgravity environment for tech development, scientific and university research

• FAST will procure commercial parabolic flights to test technologies in environments that simulate microgravity and the reduced gravity environments of the Moon or Mars

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Facilitated Access to the Space Environment for Technology (FAST)

Access to 25 sec of microgravity across 40-60 parabolic paths

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Commercial Reusable Suborbital Vehicles

• Many approaches (horizontal & vertical take-off and landing)• Significant private investment• Designing for high flight rates & low cost operability• Microgravity, pressurized, temperature-controlled payload environment

Virgin Galactic Blue Origin XCOR Aerospace

Armadillo Aerospace Masten Space Systems

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Flight & Integ.

Provider

Typical Mission Life-Cycle

Solicit &

Select

Adaptation to the Flight Environment Integrate

Fly

De-Integrate

Process/Publish

Technology Partner

Weeks Months DaysMinutes

Hours Hours to months

Technology Partner and NASA

90 – 180 days

Multiple Flight Opportunities for Multiple Payloads in any given year

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Current CRuSR Flight Opportunities

• NASA Selected Two Firms for Experimental Space Vehicle Test Flights– Armadillo Aerospace (Rockwall, TX)

• Two Flights to 15 km• Third Flight 40 km

– Masten Space Systems (Mojave, CA)• Two Flights to 5 km • Two Flights to 30 km

– $475,000 Total Award

• Early flights will:

– Develop standardized processes and procedures

– Detail interfaces and logistical operations

– Payloads to be flown:• Environmental monitors to characterize the vehicle operational flight

environment (acceleration, vibrations, quality of microgravity)• An FAA Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) payload

meant to broadcast position and velocity information to air traffic controllers and other aircraft in real time

Super Mod

Xaero

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Opportunities for Suborbital Flights

• FY 11: The Program plans to competitively procure commercial suborbital flights and potentially procure developmental flights• Inputs:

• Multiple $M’s expected to be available for multiple awards• Number of awards dependent on readiness level of flight providers• Technology development payloads through Solicitations and other OCT

programs• Outputs:

• Fly technology payloads for NASA• Provide targets of opportunity for peer-reviewed science payloads

• FY12: The Program plans to competitively secure commercial suborbital flight services for technology, science, and education payloads• Focus on payloads that reduce risk for use of new technologies in future

missions• Goal of expanding to other platforms and test environments

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Flight Opportunity for Technology Payloads

• Announcement Released on December 21, 2010– Parabolic Flights– Developmental/Suborbital Flights– Technology Payloads Solicited from All Organizations– NASA to Negotiate Space Act Agreements/MOA’s with Selectees

• No Exchange-of-Funds– Science Payloads selected through SMD ROSES NRA– Payloads Sponsored by MDs/other Government Entities– Open Call until December 31, 2014 (http://go.usa.gov/rlq)– Cut-off Date for Current Opportunities NET Feb 17, 2011

Participants bring payloads; NASA pays for flight

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Current Opportunities for Technology Payloads

• First Cut-Off Date: NET February 17, 2011 • Announcement provides a List of Current Opportunities