Space Science & Technology Evaluation Facility - First Flight (SSTEF1-TP)

Space Science & Technology Evaluation Facility – First Flight (SSTEF-1) is a general-purpose lunar testbed providing power and data services to individual experiments and payloads for testing at the lunar surface. The work is divided into two phases: Phase 1 was for the design, development, test, and evaluation (DDT&E) of the SSTEF-1 facility; it culminated with a ground demonstration of a fully flight qualified, Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 8 SSTEF-1 system with all experiments fully integrated.  The SSTEF-1 flight unit passed all pre-flight verification tests, including thermal vacuum, vibration, and electromagnetic interference  Phase 2 is a flight demonstration on a lunar payload delivery service lander with integrated third-party flight experiments to be tested on the Moon.  The SSTEF-1 flight unit is currently awaiting integration and flight on the Intuitive Machines third flight scheduled for late calendar year 2026. The SSTEF-1 flight unit has met the weight requirement for Intuitive Machines and is designed to withstand the harsher radiation environment.  The result of Phase 2 is a TRL9 SSTEF-1 design and the outgrowth of technologies resulting from the integrated third-party flight experiments.  SSTEF builds on the very successful Materials on International Space Station Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF), which began with MISSE-9 and is currently integrating MISSE-23 for flight in 2027.  MISSE-FF is a similar plug-and-play platform for NASA, DoD, commercial aerospace, and university experiments.  SSTEF also builds on the successful lunar experiment titled “Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC)” recently flown on the Firefly Blue Ghost lander and so has a high probability of success itself.  

​SSTEF provides ready, affordable access to lunar science and testing by supporting a variety of experiments and payloads.  The idea is a "plug and play" platform for experiments, with power and data available and a camera to monitor these experiments over the lifetime of the mission.  This builds on the success of the MISSE Flight Facility on the International Space Station.  By simplifying the process for investigator scientists and engineers, it increases demand for Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) payloads, increases TRL technologies for lunar exploration, reduces risk for larger missions, and grows the lunar economy.  It increases interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers at universities by providing the opportunity to students for lunar exploration, space materials and systems development, and project management.  Aegis Aerospace has communicated about this space exploration opportunity at multiple conferences, including the Materials Research Society annual meeting, the National Space and Missile Materials Symposium, and the SmallSat conference.

This is a mature technology (TRL 8) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.