Early Stage Innovations (ESI26)

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters has released the solicitation Early Stage Innovations (ESI), as an appendix to the Research and Technology Mission Directorate (RTMD) umbrella NASA Research Announcement (NRA) titled "Space Technology Research, Development, Demonstration, and Infusion 2026 (SpaceTech REDDI 2026).”. The solicitation is available by opening the NSPIRES homepage at https://nspires.nasaprs.com/, selecting “Open” under "Solicitations," and searching "Early Stage Innovations (ESI26)” under Keywords, or directly via https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/NNH26ZTR001N-26ESI_B2.

Through ESI26, Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program within RTMD solicits proposals from U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) for innovative, early-stage space technology research of high priority to NASA. Proposals are sought on specific space technologies that are currently at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). The solicitation exclusively seeks proposals that are primarily responsive to civil-space needs and use cases and not terrestrial and/or non-civil-space applications.

The solicitation exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to one of the following eight topics:

• Acceleration of Computational Fluid Dynamics of High-Enthalpy Hypersonic Flows Using Advanced Numerics and Machine Learning

• Advancements in Autonomous Maintenance and Manufacturing Technologies for the Moon and Mars

• Computational Techniques for the Design and Characterization of Oxidation-Resistant Refractory Alloys for Aerospace Applications

• Entry-Induced Fracture Modeling of Thermal Protection Materials

• Experimental Characterization of Supersonic Retropropulsion Flows at Subscale

• Innovative and Adaptive Filtering Approaches for Onboard Autonomous Spacecraft Navigation

• Large Surface Area Electrospray Thruster

• Robotic Construction and Outfitting for Surface Power Grids on the Moon and Mars

Only U.S. IHEs are eligible to submit...