Developing NEO Mass Measurement Capabilities for Planetary Defense

Asteroid mass is the single most important physical property for planetary defense, yet no existing space instrument or technique can measure it rapidly, accurately, and affordably during a high-speed flyby — a critical gap that limits NASA's ability to assess and respond to near-Earth object threats. To close this gap, Goddard is pursuing a coordinated two-pronged investment: PI Anand Mylapore is developing a miniaturized gravity gradiometer that directly measures an asteroid's gravitational gradient during a single close flyby, leveraging LISA Pathfinder heritage and University of Florida gravitational reference system technology to produce a validated instrument point design ready for infusion into a PDCO-funded rapid reconnaissance mission. Complementing this instrument development, PI Dakotah Rusley is advancing the TERP RAPTOR concept, developing flyby mass estimation algorithms and a maneuverable 12U CubeSat — built in partnership with the University of Maryland — that measures asteroid mass by precisely tracking differential spacecraft deflection using LIDAR ranging, targeting a factor-of-seven improvement over the current state of the art and a potential flight demonstration opportunity with AstroForge to the asteroid Apophis in 2028. Together, these two efforts form a strategically coordinated portfolio — one delivering the near-term demonstration capability, the other the long-term precision instrument — that positions Goddard to lead the next generation of planetary defense reconnaissance missions.

Two-pronged coordinated portfolio: (1) miniaturized gravity gradiometer (Mylapore) producing a validated instrument point design ready for infusion into a PDCO-funded rapid reconnaissance mission; (2) TERP RAPTOR (Rusley) — flyby mass estimation algorithms and a maneuverable 12U CubeSat measuring asteroid mass via LIDAR-based differential spacecraft deflection tracking, targeting 7× improvement over state of the art and a potential flight demonstration to asteroid Apophis in 2028 with AstroForge. Together: near-term demonstration capability + long-term precision instrument.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — 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.