Venus Surface Sample Fetch Vehicle Rendezvous and Retrieval

This concept will enable sample collection from the surface of Venus and transfer to an aerial lab where scientific analysis will be performed. The project proposes to develop and demonstrate technology for the critical phase of short-range rendezvous and sample transfer between the surface ascent vehicle and the fetch rover.

Technology development and Earth-based flight testing under this CIF will begin to show the feasibility of this concept for sample capture and retrieval. This work could potentially enable development of a future Venus mission for the next decadal survey.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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.