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Space Station Lab Offers Funding for In-space R&D, Production Projects
The International Space Station National Lab invites submissions for production applications, two of which will share $750,000 in funding and an opportunity to test concepts under microgravity.
Norbert Sparrow
April 1, 2024
2 Min Read
Image courtesy of ISS National Lab
Do you have an R&D or manufacturing project that might benefit from a microgravity environment? You may have an opportunity to find out. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), which manages the International Space Station (ISS) National Lab in cooperation with NASA, is inviting proposals for in-space production applications, and it will even help fund two of the projects. To be considered, first you’ll have to convince the CASIS gatekeepers that your project can bring “value to humanity and enable business models in low Earth orbit.”
New funding is available for in-space production projects involving advanced materials and manufacturing, the ISS National Laboratory announced on Friday. To apply, interested parties first must submit a concept summary for review by May 2, 2024. Applicants that clear this hurdle will need to submit full proposals by end of day July 8, 2024. Of those, two in-space production projects will get the green light and share $750,000 in funding. More information on the submission process and the program, including an on-demand webinar, is available on the resource announcement page on the ISS National Lab website.
The research project should demonstrate space-based manufacturing and production that enables new business growth and capital investment as well as scalable, sustainable market opportunities, according to the news release. The ISS National Lab cites, as an example, a recent in-space project involving the manufacture of high-value glass products in microgravity.
In the course of that project, Flawless Photonics attempted to show that a microgravity environment could enable refinements in process control resulting in improved quantity of optical fiber production. The glass fibers drawn in space will be analyzed back on terra firma and may help to reduce gravity-induced defects in optical glass products developed on Earth, said ISS National Lab.
Do you have an idea that’s potentially out of this world? Then, start here and submit your proposal.
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