Prototype Design for NASA SpaceCube Intelligent Multi-Purpose System for Enabling Remote Sensing, Communication, and Navigation (SpaceCube IMPS)

Completed TRL 5 (started at 4, targeting 5)

Description

NASA Goddard has developed a scalable, miniaturized, architecture design based on the SpaceCube v3.0 Mini that can be configured as a compact standalone unit to serve high-performance processing needs in Artificial Intelligence (AI), On-Board Science Data Processing, Communication and Navigation, and cyber security applications. This IRAD effort will enable essential infrastructure elements of the proposed groundbreaking demonstration designed for the International Space Station, that will initially show advanced, machine-learning applications in flight.

Benefits

This effort is an opportunity to mature and elevate some of the latest NASA SmallSat technology in an ISS experiment. Heritage advancement is essential to include these improved technologies for new proposal formulation efforts, especially for the demonstration and evaluation of onboard artificial intelligence for small payloads.

Details

Technology area	Flight Computing and Avionics > Avionics Systems and Subsystems > Spacecraft Command and Data Handling Systems
Program	Center Independent Research & Development: GSFC IRAD (GSFC IRAD)
Lead organization	Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Start date	2020-10-01
End date	2021-09-30

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Conrad Schiff — conrad.schiff@nasa.gov
Michael A Johnson — michael.a.johnson@nasa.gov
Christopher M Wilson — christopher.m.wilson@nasa.gov
Alessandro D Geist — alessandro.d.geist@nasa.gov

How to get involved

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.