Simulating Emerging Space Industries with Agent-Based Modeling, Phase I

The Vision for Space Exploration (VSE) calls for encouraging commercial participation as a top-level objective. Given current and future commercial activities, how should the government satisfy this objective? How can simulation of future companies determine the most likely to emerge? This innovation seeks to answer such questions envisioning a diverse set of four possible future space companies (orbital habitats/hotels, orbital tourist delivery, propellant depots, lunar excursion tourism, and lunar In-Situ Resource Utilization), examining their business case in spreadsheet-based models (both deterministically and probabilistically), modeling them in a higher fidelity agent-based modeling (ABM) environment (that is new to the aerospace industry but has been used by the authors of the proposal), determining the impact on a company's financial bottom-line, and finding potential cost savings to the government of using those products and services in future space exploration activities. Phase I will entail basic research of each of the four of case studies (or companies) as they are referred to here, spreadsheet-based modeling and analysis of each case study, and preliminary definition of the behaviors required for agent-based modeling. Phase II will entail development of a high fidelity, agent-based model of each company, their competitors, and their customers (commercial and the government).

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.