Space Technology Mission Directorate

Capable of receiving both radio frequency and optical signals, the DSN’s hybrid antenna has tracked and decoded the downlink laser from DSOC, aboard NASA’s Psyche mission. An experimental antenna has received both radio frequency and near-infrared laser signals from NASA’s Psyche spacecraft as it travels through deep space.

Posted February 8, 2024

Glenn Research Center

Fission Surface Power (FSP)

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA’s Fission Surface Power Project Energizes Lunar Exploration

NASA is wrapping up the initial phase of its Fission Surface Power Project, which focused on developing concept designs for a small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactor that could be used during a future demonstration on the Moon and to inform future designs for Mars.

Posted January 31, 2024

General

Ames Research Center

Space Technology Mission Directorate

BioNutrients: A Five-Year Experiment in Space Nears Completion

NASA’s bio-manufacturing experiment called BioNutrients is testing a way to use microorganisms to produce on-demand nutrients that will be critical for human health during future long-duration space missions.

Posted January 30, 2024

Space Technology Mission Directorate

International Space Station (ISS)

ISS Research

Spinoffs

Technology Transfer

Technology Transfer & Spinoffs

NASA Space Tech Spinoffs Benefit Earth Medicine, Moon to Mars Tools

As NASA innovates for the benefit of all, what the agency develops for exploration has the potential to evolve into other technologies with broader use here on Earth. Many of those examples are highlighted in NASA’s annual Spinoff book including dozens of NASA-enabled medical innovations, as well other advancements.

Posted January 29, 2024

Armstrong Flight Research Center

Flight Opportunities Program

Game Changing Development Program

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Selects Winners of Third TechRise Student Challenge

NASA is announcing 60 winning teams for its third TechRise Student Challenge, a nationwide contest to engage students in technology, science, and space exploration. The student teams will work together to turn their proposed science and technology experiments into reality ahead of NASA-sponsored suborbital flight tests this summer.

Posted January 24, 2024

Space Technology Mission Directorate

SBIR STTR

Technology

NASA Invests in Small Business Tech to Advance Alternative Fuels, More

Transitioning cutting-edge research from the lab to life-changing technology in the market is no easy feat and the cost of failure is high, especially for small businesses.

Posted January 18, 2024

General

Ames Research Center

Space Technology Mission Directorate

Robot Team Builds High-Performance Digital Structure for NASA

Greater than the sum of its parts: NASA tests the capability of a system that includes simple robots, structural building blocks, and smart algorithms to build functional, high-performance large-scale structures, ultimately enabling autonomous deep-space infrastructure.

Posted January 17, 2024

Space Technology Mission Directorate

NASA Directorates

NASA Administrator Names New Head of Space Technology

Dr. Kurt “Spuds” Vogel will serve as the new associate administrator of the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced Tuesday. His appointment is effective immediately. Vogel succeeds James Reuter, who retired from the agency in June 2023. Dr.

Posted January 16, 2024

Glenn Research Center

Artemis

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)

Cryogenic Fluid Management (CFM)

Marshall Space Flight Center

Moons

Space Technology Mission Directorate

Tech Demo Missions

Technology Demonstration

Brr, It’s Cold in Here! NASA’s Cryo Efforts Beyond the Atmosphere

Establishing sustained operations at the Moon and Mars presents a multitude of opportunities and challenges NASA has yet to encounter. Many of these activities require new technologies and processes to ensure the agency is prepared for its ambitious Artemis missions and those beyond.

Posted January 11, 2024

Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS)

Space Technology Mission Directorate

New Study Updates NASA on Space-Based Solar Power

Space-based solar power offers tantalizing possibilities for sustainable energy – in the future, orbital collection systems could harvest energy in space, and beam it wirelessly back to Earth. These systems could serve remote locations across the planet to supplement the terrestrial power transmission infrastructure required today.

Posted January 11, 2024