NASA Centers and Universities Collaborate in Annual Smallsat Technology Partnerships

Since 2013, NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology (SST) program has sponsored a series of Smallsat Technology Partnerships (STP). These PI-lead collaborations between a U.S.-based university and a partnered NASA center are developing transformative Smallsat technologies. Each year the STP competitive solicitation focuses on a chosen set of technical topics. Successful proposals are awarded for a duration of two years with continuation review after the first year. Award values were $200k per year for the university and 0.5 FTE for the NASA partner along with $25k for material procurement in the second year, for the 2018-2019 STP solicitation. Thirty-seven Smallsat Technology Partnerships have been awarded over a series of 4 solicitations. In this paper, we give the SST program’s objectives for encouraging partnerships between universities and NASA centers, and the purpose and aim of the annual NASA-University Smallsat Technology Partnerships. We describe in detail the technical advancements stemming from the STP partnerships. Finally, we present summary results from both the university and NASA perspectives to support the conclusion that the overall STP portfolio has returned positive results compared to resources invested, successfully achieving the stated goals