NASA EPSCoR Suborbital Flight Opportunity

The NASA EPSCoR Suborbital Flight Opportunity (SFO) utilizes the Space Technology Mission Directorate Suborbital Flight capability as a short-term microgravity platform or test bed for a suborbital flight demonstration (reusable rockets, balloons, or parabolic flight) of the basic ground research.

Suborbital flight can be used as a maturation step from ground-based research to downstream orbital flight research/ demonstration or can be used for scientific research that can be accomplished in suborbital flight.

The SFO opportunity is for current or previously funded EPSCoR projects or other research projects that are mature enough to design a research experiment or develop research experimental hardware to the point that it can be safely flown in a suborbital environment.

Each NASA-funded EPSCoR proposal is expected to perform scientific and/or technical research in areas that support NASA’s strategic research and technology development priorities and contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities of higher education, and economic development of the jurisdiction receiving funding.

Each jurisdiction can submit one proposal. Proposals must be submitted by the Maine NASA EPSCoR Director.

Proposals can be for up to $250,000 for a period of performance not to exceed three years. Cost-sharing is not required.

NASA will cover flight costs using NASA-approved suborbital launch providers.

Although the FY 2023 NOFO release is anticipated on January 5, 2023, applicants may get a head started by downloading the FY 2022 NOFO.

CRITICAL DATES

  • NASA NOFO release (tentative): January 5, 2023
  • Proposal due at MSGC (tentative): TBD
  • Proposal due at NASA (tentative): April 5, 2023
  • Awards announcement (estimated): May 31, 2023

Maine does not have funded NASA EPSCoR Suborbital Flight Opportunity projects, yet. However, click here to view abstracts of funded projects in other states.

See NSPIRES for up to date information.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal please contact Dr. Terry Shehata