·    Earth and Global Navigation Satellite System-Independent Position Navigation and Timing for Small Spacecraft

·    Edge Computing and Machine-Learning Architectures, Software, Platforms, and Devices for Small Spacecraft

·    High Specific Power Systems and Thermal Control for Small Spacecraft

Only accredited U.S. universities with a campus located in the U.S. are eligible to submit proposals. Partnering with a NASA Center is required (see solicitation for complete eligibility and teaming requirements).

Anticipated Award Amounts: Maximum of $225,000 each year for up to two years ($450,000 maximum) per award. In addition, a NASA civil servant or JPL employee labor allocation of up to 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) per award, per year will be available to support NASA partner(s) involvement. Proposal teams can also request up to $30,000 of procurement funding for the NASA partner(s) to cover NASA expenses in the collaboration. This procurement funding may be used by the NASA partner(s) to purchase hardware or for use of NASA test facilities that support the partnership. Subject to approval, USTP projects that are selected for a subsequent flight demonstration through CSLI or FO or other means may receive supplemental funds, through a funded extension of the basic Cooperative Agreement, to support the demonstration (see solicitation for further details). NASA reserves the right to negotiate the scope and magnitude of the proposed effort, cost/price terms, and any other terms, as appropriate with selected offerors.

The goals of the USTP appendix include collaboration with university teams that have experience in small spacecraft development and the 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 colleges and universities to address these dual goals.

This solicitation uses a two-step selection process. Mandatory Preliminary Proposals (MPP) are due by Tuesday, May 16 2023 and must be submitted electronically via NSPIRES. Following a review process of the MPP, selected proposers will receive an invitation to submit a Full Proposal. Full Proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by an authorized organizational representative and are due on or before Tuesday, July 18 2023.

The financial and programmatic support for University Smallsat Technology Partnerships comes from the Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program, in cooperation with the Flight Opportunities (FO) program, both within STMD.