Space Technology Mission Directorate

The purpose of the Center Innovation Fund is to stimulate and encourage creativity and innovation within the NASA Centers in addressing the technology needs of NASA and the nation.

Flight Opportunities rapidly demonstrates promising technologies for space exploration, discovery, and the expansion of space commerce through suborbital testing with industry flight providers. The program matures capabilities needed for NASA missions and commercial applications while strategically investing in the growth of the U.S. commercial spaceflight industry.

GCD seeks to identify and rapidly mature high-impact capabilities and technologies, and investigate innovative ideas that have the potential to revolutionize future space missions.

NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII) works across industry, academia, non-profits, and with other government agencies to catalyze the development of technology that will enable robotic and human exploration of the Moon and future operations on Mars.

NIAC nurtures visionary ideas that could transform future NASA missions with the creation of breakthroughs—radically better or entirely new aerospace architectures, systems, or missions.

NASA connects the public to the agency’s missions and explores creative possibilities for addressing the agency’s needs through prizes, challenges, and crowdsourcing opportunities.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide an opportunity for small, high tech companies and research institutions.

The Small Spacecraft Technology program expands the ability to execute unique missions through rapid development and demonstration of capabilities for small spacecraft applicable to exploration, science and the commercial space sector.

Space Technology Research Grants will accelerate the development of high risk/high payoff technologies to support the future space science and exploration needs of NASA.

The mission of NASA’s Technology Demonstration Missions is to bridge the gap between need and means, between scientific and engineering challenges and the technological innovations.

The NASA Technology Transfer program ensures that innovations developed for exploration and discovery are broadly available to the public, maximizing the benefit to the nation.