TPS Development / Instrumentation / Testing (TPS-DIT)

The Thermal Protection System (TPS) Development, Instrumentation and Testing (DIT) Project lies within the Land/Deceleration Systems domain within NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). The overarching goal of the TPS DIT is to assess the investment strategy, roadmap, and customer engagement plan for NASA investments into TPS material developments that best support human exploration of the Moon and Mars, commercial space, and entry systems for planetary destinations across the Solar System. The need for investment in Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technologies is widely recognized within the Agency, derived in part from Objective 3.1 of the 2022 NASA Strategic Plan to “Innovate and Advance Transformational Space Technologies.” The objective identifies multiple technology thrusts, among them, “technologies that have high potential for offsetting mission risk, reducing cost, and advancing existing or creating new capabilities - technology investments that enable NASA’s science and human exploration missions and foster growth and job creation in domestic industries - through partnerships with universities, small businesses, and other Government agencies.” Emerging commercial space companies have an immediate need to demonstrate their capability to return samples from space, and they must do so at a fraction of the cost of conventional NASA missions and often within a year or less of receiving seed funding. These companies need TPS with PICA-like performance (light weight and high heat flux capability). But for them to be successful, they also require low-cost, rapidly producible, and easily assembled ablative TPS to enable quick proof of concept and return on investment for stakeholders. The TPS DIT Project has been stood up as a portfolio project with the intent of exploring innovative and transformational TPS technologies that engage industry partners to impact SMD and Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) missions as well as other government agencies (OGAs) and commercial space. It is hoped that, through continued customer engagement and Entry Systems road mapping in space technology, NASA will contribute to growing the U.S. industrial and academic base by transferring space technology into the space economy, continuing the Nation’s global economic leadership, and strengthening our national security.

The benefits of this task are that the elements support current Human Space Flight work at NASA while also working to produce an investment strategy, roadmap, and customer engagement/transition plan for NASA investments into TPS material developments that best support fututure Science, Human Exploration, and commercial entities for FY26-31.​​ These elements are needed for Earth to Moon, Earth to Mars, Moon to Mars as well as sample return from Moon, Mars or other bodies in the solar system. Elements of this task also acknowledge the growing commercial space sector and NASA's need to support Research and Development for the benefit of industry as well as the need to increase and foster flight opportunities that will help advance the various Entry Descent and Landing technolologies that NASA and/or industry will need to utilize to accomplish the goals of the emerging space manufacturing industry, the scientific community, as well as the Nation's ambitious plans to put Am​​erican boots on the Moon and Mars in the next decade.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — 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.