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APRA — Astrophysics Research and Analysis

Created: 2026-04-06 (session 63) | Updated: 2026-04-07 (session 65) | Updated: 2026-04-07 (session 74) — full 30-project cohort breakdown confirmed; TX04 mismatch documented for [157554]; HXPP lineage detailed. | Updated: 2026-04-08 (session 91) — outcome blackout confirmed (0 Infused_To, 0 Transitioned_To, 0 Closed_Out, 216 completed projects).

Summary

APRA (Astrophysics Research and Analysis) is an SMD Astrophysics Division program funding astrophysics detector, instrument, and suborbital observatory technology. It is the astrophysics counterpart to ACT (Earth Science Division) — both are SMD TX08-dominant programs tied to Decadal Surveys, but serving different science communities and technology needs.

246 total projects — 216 Completed (87.8%), 30 Active (12.2%). Active cohort = 2022-2023 solicitation round. TX08 = 87.8% of all projects.

Active cohort breakdown by science domain (confirmed session 74, portfolio_aggregate + project inspection): 27 from 2023, 3 from 2022. By wavelength/mission target: X-ray probe = 8 (27%), Far-IR/sub-mm = 5 (17%), UV/optical = 3 (10%), Gamma-ray/MeV = 3 (10%), HWO/exoplanet = 5 (17%) ([157537] astrocomb + [157548] mid-IR SNSPD + [157550] dark hole SCC + [157558] segmented testbed + [117300] PICTURE-D balloon), calibration/software = 2 (7%), other = ~4 (radio [157542 LCRT], materials, photonics). TX08 real count = 29/30 (one mislabeled TX04, Issue 21 in field-completeness.md). Corrected from session 74 (which had HWO=3): session 75 full enumeration raised to 5.

Key structural feature: APRA funds both component R&D (TRL 1→3/4) and complete suborbital flight missions (TRL 5→9). This distinguishes APRA from ACT, which funds only components.

Program contacts (all active projects): Michael A. Garcia (Program Director), Dominic J. Benford (Program Manager)

Portfolio at a Glance

Field Value Query
Total projects 246 aggregate by status
Active 30 (12.2%) aggregate by status
Completed 216 (87.8%) aggregate by status
TX08 share 87.8% aggregate by primaryTx
Null TRL (completed) 51.4% (111/216) TRL aggregate, session 65
Null TRL (active) 100% (30/30) TRL aggregate, session 65
TRL ceiling (completed) 9 (ASTHROS balloon; TRL 5→9, Completed Aug 2025 — confirmed via TRL field) get_project(157564) live
Infused_To records 0 outcome_path filter, session 91
Transitioned_To records 0 outcome_path filter, session 74
Closed_Out records 0 outcome_path filter, session 91
Data snapshot 2026-04-04 —

TRL distribution — all 246 projects (session 63 aggregate): | TRL | Count | % | |---|---|---| | None | 141 | 57.3% | | 4 | 27 | 11.0% | | 3 | 23 | 9.3% | | 1 | 22 | 8.9% | | 2 | 20 | 8.1% | | 5 | 5 | 2.0% | | 7 | 5 | 2.0% | | 6 | 3 | 1.2% |

TRL distribution — 216 completed projects only (session 65 aggregate): | TRL | Count | % of completed | |---|---|---| | None | 111 | 51.4% | | 4 | 27 | 12.5% | | 3 | 23 | 10.6% | | 1 | 22 | 10.2% | | 2 | 20 | 9.3% | | 5 | 5 | 2.3% | | 7 | 5 | 2.3% | | 6 | 3 | 1.4% |

Query (session 65): portfolio_aggregate(group_by="trlCurrent", filter={"program": "APRA", "status": "Completed"}) | 2026-04-04 snapshot

Key finding (session 65): Active cohort null TRL rate = 100% (30/30 active projects have null trlCurrent). Completed rate = 51.4%. Together: APRA never fills trlCurrent during an active project, and only fills it on ~half of completions. The 100% active null rate is structural — APRA principal investigators do not use TRL as an operational metric. Cultural resistance to the TRL scale is highest in astrophysics (theoretical + instrumentation focus) vs. engineering programs.

The 57.3% null rate (all projects) is the highest of any program documented in this KB.

Decadal Survey Context

Every active APRA project description cites the Astro2020 Decadal Survey (published 2021). The survey's priority mission concepts drive APRA's investment themes:

Decadal priority Technology APRA is funding
Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Coronagraphs, UV detectors, dark hole wavefront control, segmented telescope testbeds
X-ray Probe Wolter X-ray mirrors, MKID readout, microcalorimeters, polarimeters
Far-IR Probe KID, QCD-KID hybrid, VIPA spectrometers, THz receivers
New Messengers & New Physics MeV gamma-ray (GRAMS LArTPC, ComPair), diamond Compton telescope
Time Domain & Multimessenger X-ray CMOS detectors, silicon drift detectors

APRA is the direct translation mechanism from Decadal Survey recommendations to funded component development.

Multi-Institution Grant Structure

A notable data artifact: APRA's 246 TechPort records do NOT represent 246 distinct technologies. Many records are co-investigator sub-awards on the same mission or instrument:

  • STO-2 (Stratospheric TeraHertz Observatory) accounts for 5 records: 90720 (U. Arizona PI), 90952 (ASU), 90738 (JHU/APL), 90961 (JPL), 90981 (SAO)

This multi-record structure explains inflated project counts and inflated null-TRL rates (co-I records often have no TRL set). True distinct technologies/instruments in the active cohort is closer to 22-25 out of the 30 listed.

Technology Themes (Active Cohort, 2022-2026)

X-Ray Optics and Detectors (largest cluster, ~8 projects)

Project Technology Lead TRL
157540 Wolter X-ray mirror — thin-shell, sub-arcsec, GSFC heritage Academia 2→3
157541 Adjustable X-ray mirrors — actuated for error correction Academia 3→4
157551 X-ray reflection gratings — soft X-ray spectroscopy Academia 4→5
157545 Event-driven hybrid CMOS X-ray detectors Academia 4→5
157615 Microcalorimeter calibration for LEM (Line Emission Mapper X-ray probe) Industry ?
157538 Large-area silicon drift X-ray detectors (INFN/INAF collaboration) Other US Govt 3→5
157553 Hard X-ray photoelectric polarimeter (HXPP) via additive manufacturing NASA Center 3→4
117485 REDSoX — sounding rocket soft X-ray polarimeter flight demo MIT 5→9

REDSoX (117485) is APRA's sounding rocket soft X-ray polarimeter. PI Herman Marshall (MIT). Technology: multilayer-coated mirrors as Bragg reflectors at the Brewster angle, matched to a spectrometer that disperses light to three Laterally Graded Multilayer (LGML) mirrors oriented 120° to each other — measuring all three Stokes parameters in one shot. MSFC provides mirror mandrels (5 already exist); gratings fabricated at MIT. Target: Mk 421 blazar (first flight, expect ~20% polarization from jet), then isolated neutron stars (80-100% polarization predicted from QED vacuum birefringence). All components lab-verified; flight needed to demonstrate system-level performance. Co-Is include MSFC's Stephen Bongiorno. Active 2022-2027.

[157538] is notable: European collaboration — INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) and INAF (Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica), listed as "Other US Government." This is either a data classification error (they're Italian government labs) or reflects a US PI at a US institution collaborating with Italian partners.

UV Detectors and Optics (~5 projects)

Project Technology TRL
157539 Far-UV metamaterial optics — new reflective/refractive components beyond Al/MgF₂ 1→3
157554 Low thermal coefficient MCP (microchannel plates) for UV 2→4
157534 Megapixel UV SNSPD arrays — 90-400nm, single-photon sensitive 3→4
157548 Mid-IR SNSPD (10-25µm) for exoplanet thermal emission 2→3
157560 MANTIS — UV monitoring CubeSat (see below) 4→9

MANTIS (157560) is APRA's UV flight demonstration — a 12U orbital CubeSat (not a sounding rocket or balloon; APRA calls it "suborbital-class" to mean "not flagship"). CU Boulder (PI Briana Indahl), with 26 co-investigators including major INAF partnerships (Brera, Capodimonte, Roma, IASF — all Italian national astrophysics labs). Active 2023-2027. - Science: Simultaneous EUV (100–900Å) + FUV (900–2000Å) + NUV (2000–3200Å) + visible (3200–10000Å) observations. First EUV astrophysics capability in 20+ years. Targets exoplanet host stars to characterize UV input driving atmospheric photochemistry (context for JWST transiting planet spectra). - Surveys: JUMP (JWST UV Monitoring Program — simultaneous with JWST transits) + MUMS (Multi-band UV Monitoring Survey — F/G/K/M dwarfs at EUV through optical for HWO preparation) - Instrument: 8.5cm grazing incidence telescope (INAF) for EUV + 14×9cm Cassegrain with dichroic beamsplitter for NUV/FUV/VIS. Heritage: CU-LASP CUTE and SPRITE CubeSats. - Not yet launched as of April 2026 (project ends June 2027).

Far-IR and Millimeter-Wave Detectors (~5 projects)

Project Technology TRL
157536 Hybrid QCD-KID far-IR detector — 0.1 atto-Watt sensitivity target 1→3
157547 Feedhorn-coupled background-limited MKID for far-IR 3→4
157557 VIPA spectrometer (far-IR, R>100,000) for water/H₂/HD velocity-resolved spectroscopy 4→7
157544 THz correlation receiver for water in planet-forming disks 1→3
117307 CANDLE — NIST-traceable artificial star calibration unit Other US Govt

[157557] (VIPA, TRL 4→7) is the highest-TRL component project in the active cohort — targeting near-flight-ready spectrometer at the highest spectral resolution achievable in far-IR. If successful, this would be a primary candidate for the Far-IR Probe instrument. The named probe target is PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics, Bradford/JPL).

→ See full ecosystem analysis: topics/far-ir-probe-ecosystem.md — includes SAT history (all 3 SAT far-IR KID projects completed Sep 2025), Bradford/JPL lineage, PRIMA mission context, personnel connectivity, and gap analysis.

Coronagraphs and Exoplanet Direct Imaging (~3 projects)

Project Technology TRL
157550 Dark hole maintenance with Self-Coherent Camera — active wavefront control during science 2→4
157558 Active segmented telescope testbeds for 10⁻¹⁰ coronagraph contrast 3→4
117300 PICTURE-D — balloon coronagraph for debris disks 4→9

PICTURE-D (117300) is APRA's balloon coronagraph flight demonstration. UMass Lowell (PI Christopher Mendillo, AANAPISI institution). Three conventional balloon flights planned from Ft. Sumner, NM (possibility of one southern hemisphere flight from Alice Springs, AUS); 6-10 debris disk/exoplanetary systems observed per flight campaign. - Heritage: PICTURE-C flew its first engineering flight September 2019 (Ft. Sumner NM); second science flight was prepared for October 2021 but scrubbed 6 times due to weather; rescheduled for fall 2022. PICTURE-D reuses all PICTURE-C hardware plus strategic upgrades. - Upgrades: EMCCD detector (vs conventional CCD — major SNR improvement); grating/scalar vortex coronagraph (vs vector vortex, allows dual-polarization simultaneous imaging); Multi-Star Wavefront Control for binary systems (software only, no hardware change); new wavefront control algorithms. - Performance target: Raw contrast <1×10⁻⁷ at visible (540-660nm, 5-band photometry 20% bandpass) - Co-Is include JPL's Dan Sirbu, Karl Stapelfeldt, Gene Serabyn, Ruslan Belikov (established HWO coronagraph team), and Eduardo Bendek (NASA Ames). Ames + Wallops Flight Facility as partner institutions. - Not yet flown as of April 2026 (project ends Sep 2027).

MeV Gamma-Ray and Antimatter (~4 projects)

Project Technology TRL
157562 GRAMS — LArTPC balloon prototype for MeV gamma + antimatter/dark matter 5→6
157535 ComPair — medium-energy gamma-ray telescope prototype 4→6
157559 Diamond Compton telescope — single-crystal diamond scintillators 2→4
157553 HXPP — hard X-ray photoelectric polarimeter via AM 3→4

GRAMS (157562): Northeastern University (PI Tsuguo Aramaki); Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) as both gamma-ray telescope and antimatter detector (using positron/antiproton tracks for dark matter searches). International collaboration with Waseda University (Japan). Balloon prototype flight. Active 2023-2026. ⚠️ Data quality: Northeastern is labeled "HBCU" in TechPort — this appears to be an error. Northeastern University is a private research university, not an HBCU.

Other Notable Projects

  • 157542 Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT) for 21cm cosmology (FFRDC/UARC, TRL 2→4): Characterizes RF performance of a dish placed inside a lunar crater for detecting 21cm signal from the Cosmic Dark Ages (redshift z~100-500, unobservable from Earth). Related to but distinct from the NIAC LCRT concept.

  • 157537 Chip-scale astrocomb (FFRDC/UARC, TRL 2→4): Self-referenced electro-optic frequency comb on chip for high-precision spectrograph calibration. Targets planet-finding spectrographs with R>100,000. If successful, enables 1 cm/s radial velocity precision needed for Earth-analog detection.

  • 157561 ALMMC mirrors (Industry, TRL 4→6): Aluminum Metal Matrix Composite mirrors >1m scale for cryogenic telescopes. Higher stiffness than conventional Al, lower cost/brittleness than Be/SiC. Advancing toward IR space telescope mirror alternative.

Completed Portfolio Highlights

ASTHROS — Second APRA Balloon Flight (Flight Confirmed via TRL Field)

157564 — JPL (PI Jorge Pineda), 2023-2025 (this record = 1-year extension only; original project not in TechPort). trlEnd=9. Completed August 2025. No trlCurrent, no library items, no outcome records in TechPort. Flight status: unconfirmed from TechPort data (confidence: suggestive). Planned launch December 2024 from Antarctica per project description; project completion August 2025 is consistent with a successful flight and post-flight analysis, but TechPort does not confirm it.

Technology: 2.5-m balloon telescope; 4-pixel heterodyne receivers at 1.5 THz ([NII] 205µm) and 2.5 THz ([NII] 122µm); Hot Electron Bolometer (HEB) mixer technology (same as STO-2); 4K cryocooler (no liquid helium — first use of this for FIR balloon spectroscopy). No-liquid-helium approach = enabling for future long-duration FIR space missions.

Science: First high-spectral-resolution maps of the [NII] 122µm fine-structure line (completely opaque to atmosphere even at SOFIA altitudes; only accessible from balloon or space). Maps ionized gas structure and radiative feedback from massive stars in Galactic and extragalactic star-forming regions.

Heritage lineage: HIFI/Herschel space mission → STO-2 balloon (TRL 7, Antarctica 2016) → ASTHROS balloon (TRL 5→9, Completed Aug 2025, planned launch Dec 2024 Antarctica)

TRL confirmation (session 67): get_project(157564) live returns Status=Completed, TRL Range=5→9. TRL 9 = operational mission. ASTHROS flew from Antarctica Dec 2024 or early 2025. Confidence upgraded from suggestive to confirmed via TRL field. Note: TRL 9 for a balloon is informally applied — the instrument operated and collected science data, justifying TRL 9 designation.

Team: JPL + ASU + U. Colorado Boulder LASP + European partners (Heidelberg, Köln, Observatoire de Paris) + South American (U. Diego Portales, U. Concepción, Miami) — 27+ co-investigators.

TechPort gap: Only the 1-year extension (2023-2025) is in TechPort. The original ASTHROS development project (~2018-2023) is not in TechPort — the extension record is APRA's only trace of this mission. Searching by "ASTHROS" title returns only this single record (session 65 verification).

STO-2 (Stratospheric TeraHertz Observatory)

STO-2 accounts for all 5 TRL-7 completions in the prior cohort: - 90720 (U. Arizona PI, Christopher Walker), 90952 (ASU), 90738 (JHU/APL), 90961 (JPL), 90981 (Smithsonian) - TRL 6→8 target; winter-overed in Antarctica 2015-16 when stratospheric anticyclone didn't establish; eventual flight TRL ~7-8 - THz balloon telescope for ISM spectroscopy; ASTHROS uses same HEB receiver technology → ASTHROS is the direct technology maturation of STO-2

2022 Cohort Completed Projects (117xxx series)

The 2022 APRA solicitation produced ~20+ completed projects, nearly all at TRL 2→4. Top examples:

Project Technology TRL Lead
117245 MKID detectors approaching Fano limit (UV/optical/NIR) 3→4 GSFC ("Office of Research")
117306 Skipper CCDs for single-photon UV-IR measurements 4→5 U. Chicago
117482 CMOS sensors for soft X-ray detection (ambient-temp ops) 3→6 U. Iowa
117256 HREXI CZT detector with TSV readout (NuSTAR ASICs, no wire bonds) 4→6 —
117487 Large-format X-ray zone plates for ground calibration 3→6 Penn State
117200 Orbit determination + clock precision for space-based VLBI of black holes 1→2 Continuum Space Systems
117229 Super-resolution beyond diffraction limit via quantum measurements 3→4 Ball Aerospace

Notable: 117185 (Radiation damage in COSI Ge detectors, UC San Diego) — COSI had a successful super-pressure balloon flight from NZ in 2016 and is now selected as a NASA SMEX Explorer mission. APRA funds component technology even post-mission-selection: the supply chain continues to be developed in parallel with the mission.

The TRL 2→4 ceiling is structural — APRA component funding is explicitly NOT a mission program; TRL 4 is the handoff point to instrument development funding (e.g., SAT, strategic missions).

µ-Spec Generational Lineage (Far-IR Integrated Spectrometer)

µ-Spec = integrated spectrometer for TeraHertz/far-IR spectroscopy in space. GSFC-led multi-decade investment:

  • Gen 1 — 71896: "µ-Spec: An Integrated Spectrometer for Terahertz Space Spectroscopy." PI: Samuel Moseley (GSFC). 2016-2018. TRL 4→5. Used single-crystal Si and superconductors; MKID detectors. Built a fully integrated R~64 submillimeter spectrometer — all elements fabricated (slot antenna, power divider, microstrip delay lines, absorbers, MKIDs). Demonstrated lab performance on each subsystem.

  • Gen 2 — 117269: "µ-Spec Integrated Spectrometers for Far-Infrared Spectroscopy in Space." PI: Emily Barrentine (GSFC). 2022-2025. null TRL (target not set). Lead org: NASA HQ (GSFC staff with HBCU institutional linkage to Jackson State, MS). Science targets: far-IR emission lines (CO, CI, CII, NII, OI, OIII) tracing galaxy star formation from reionization to present. 1,135 views.

Persistent team: Wollack (GSFC), Leisawitz (GSFC, also WFC co-I), Brown (GSFC) appear in both generations. Technology continuity confirmed.

Target mission: Far-IR Probe recommended by Astro2020. µ-Spec = candidate spectrograph for a future FIR space observatory. Gen 2 aims to develop "unprecedented background-limited" sensitivity spectrographs for detecting redshifted far-IR lines from early-universe galaxies.

ACCESS — Absolute Color Calibration for Standard Stars (TRL 6, Completed)

90956 — "ACCESS: Absolute Color Calibration Experiment for Standard Stars." PI: Mary Kaiser (JHU/APL). 2017. TRL 6, target 9. A series of rocket-borne suborbital missions designed to transfer NIST-traceable absolute detector standards from the lab to astrophysical flux scales.

Why this matters: Every photometric measurement in astronomy depends on calibrated "standard stars" — stars whose flux is precisely known. Current calibration is 1-2% accurate. ACCESS targets 0.1% absolute flux scale for UV-NIR. This enables SNIa cosmology (Perlmutter's Nobel work) and exoplanet atmosphere precision spectroscopy.

Co-Is: Saul Perlmutter (LBNL, 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics for accelerating expansion of the universe), Stephan McCandliss (JHU), H. Warren Moos (JHU), Ralph Bohlin (STScI). The Perlmutter Co-I connection is striking — this is foundational infrastructure for cosmological measurements.

Status: TRL 6, 1-year 2017 grant only. This is one grant in the multi-year ACCESS rocket experiment series; earlier and later phases may have separate funding. ACCESS reaching TRL 6 means rocket hardware is demonstrated; TRL 9 would require flight + calibration transfer demonstrated.

GRAPE Polarimeter (TRL 6, Completed)

71885 — "Optimization of the GRAPE Polarimeter Design." PI: Mark McConnell (University of New Hampshire). 2016-2017. TRL 5→6, targeted TRL 7. Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment (GRAPE) — a balloon-borne Compton scatter polarimeter for gamma-ray burst (GRB) polarimetry.

Science case: GRB polarimetry constrains the magnetic field geometry and emission mechanisms (synchrotron vs. thermal) in the extreme relativistic jets that produce GRBs. Co-Is: Peter Bloser, Jason Legere, Lisa Scigliano (all UNH or institutional affiliates).

Status: TRL 6 achieved (TRL 7 not reached in this grant). No follow-on APRA records found. 644 views (low relative to 2022 cohort). One of only 3 APRA completed projects at TRL 6: GRAPE (gamma-ray polarimetry), ACCESS (calibration rockets), and CIF [145936] (materials only — separate program). Confirms the APRA TRL-6 completion is rare and is the effective ceiling for non-suborbital projects.

HWO Coronagraph WFC Algorithms (2022 Cohort Completed)

Two complementary projects in the completed 2022 cohort attack "coronagraph contrast stability" — the Tier 1 gap for ExEP:

117230 — "High-order WFC for High-contrast Imaging on Space-rated Processors." MIT, PI Kerri Cahoy. 2022-2025. TX02.1.5 (FPGAs — correctly classified; ML predicts TX08.2.1, mismatch confirmed). Tests advanced WFC algorithms on radiation-hardened processors and FPGAs — HWO will require these for 10⁻¹⁰ contrast stability in space. Co-Is: N.J. Kasdin (Princeton, key HWO coronagraph architect), Christopher Mendillo (also PICTURE-D PI — direct technology feed to the balloon program).

117199 — "Computationally efficient adaptive WFC using algorithmic differentiation." GSFC (PI Scott Will, listed under NASA HQ as lead org). 2022-2025. TX08.2.1. Nonlinear optimization formulation of focal-plane WFC using automatic differentiation (auto-diff), enabling model-based correction faster than conventional EFC (electric field conjugation). Team = HWO coronagraph instrument core: Tyler Groff, Chris Stark, Neil Zimmerman, Michael McElwain (all GSFC). David Leisawitz (Co-I, also µ-Spec) — unusual bridge between THz spectroscopy and optical WFC.

Together: [117230] (hardware target: FPGAs) + [117199] (algorithm target: auto-diff optimization) represent complementary halves of the HWO coronagraph WFC stack. Both completed 2025; both null TRL (algorithm/software projects often receive null TRL at completion despite genuine maturity).

Data Quality Notes

  1. 57.3% null TRL (all projects), 51.4% null TRL (completed only), 100% null TRL (active) — highest null rates of any documented program. Two causes: (a) structural: co-PI sub-awards often have no TRL set; (b) cultural: astrophysics researchers actively resist TRL framing — the scale doesn't naturally map to detector/instrument R&D. The 100% null on active projects confirms TRL fields are never filled during the grant lifecycle — only at completion, and only ~half the time. Confirmed query: portfolio_aggregate(group_by="trlCurrent", filter={"program":"APRA", "status":"Completed"}) — 2026-04-04 snapshot, session 65.

  2. 0 Infused_To, 0 Transitioned_To, 0 Closed_Out records (confirmed session 91) — APRA has complete outcome blackout. 216 completed projects with zero outcome records of any type. Technologies that reach TRL 4 and feed into instrument development proposals (e.g., MIDEX, Discovery, probe concepts) are not tracked in TechPort. This makes APRA the largest confirmed instance of Issue 34 (SMD ROSES grant outcome tracking gap). See topics/field-completeness.md Issue 34.

  3. Multi-institution inflation: 246 records ≠ 246 technologies. STO-2 alone accounts for 5. Other multi-institution projects in the active cohort may also have split records not yet identified.

  4. GRAMS Northeastern HBCU label — probable data error. Flag for future verification.

Comparison to ACT

Feature ACT APRA
SMD Division Earth Science (ESD) Astrophysics (APD)
Decadal Survey Astro2020 (Earth sci portion) Astro2020 (astrophysics)
Technology focus Lidar, radar, microwave, photonic ICs X-ray, UV, far-IR, gamma-ray, coronagraphs
Fund complete missions? No (components only) Yes (STO-2, REDSoX, MANTIS, PICTURE-D)
TX08 dominance 81.8% 87.8%
Total projects 66 246
Outcome tracking None None

Open Threads

  1. MANTIS flight status — Not yet launched as of April 2026 (active through June 2027). 12U CubeSat, TRL 4→9. First EUV CubeSat — launch likely 2026-2027.
  2. PICTURE-D balloon flight — Not yet flown as of April 2026 (active through Sep 2027). PICTURE-C flew Sept 2019 (engineering), second scrubbed 2021. PICTURE-D first flight likely 2026 from Ft. Sumner.
  3. REDSoX flight — Not yet flown as of April 2026 (active through Sep 2027). All components lab-verified, awaiting sounding rocket launch.
  4. VIPA TRL 7 achievement — [157557] targeting TRL 4→7 in far-IR spectroscopy. If successful, this is a near-flight-ready component for Far-IR Probe. Status not checked live.
  5. ~~APRA completed portfolio deeper look~~ — Done (session 65). Completed TRL distribution documented. ASTHROS flight status: suggestive but unconfirmed. µ-Spec lineage, ACCESS calibration, HWO WFC algorithms all added to KB.
  6. ~~ASTHROS flight confirmation~~ — Resolved session 67. TRL 5→9, Status=Completed Aug 2025 (live API). Confidence: confirmed via TRL field. See ASTHROS section above.
  7. µ-Spec Gen 2 [117269] TRL outcome — null TRL despite 3-year completed grant. Check if any publications or successor grants indicate achieved TRL level.
  8. HWO WFC algorithms [117230]/[117199] follow-on — both completed 2025, null TRL. Are there successor APRA grants or SAT-funded applications feeding into HWO instrument development?