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Flight Opportunities (FO) Active Portfolio

Last updated: session 49, 2026-04-06

Summary

FO active portfolio (51 projects as of 2026-04-04) is far more diverse than its reputation as a propulsion/EDL program. TX06 life sciences is the #1 technology area (8 projects, 15.1%), followed by a three-way tie at 7 projects each (TX08 sensors, TX12 manufacturing, TX01 propulsion). The active portfolio spans 13 TX areas with no dominant focus. Industry leads 50.9% — the most industry-led FO has ever been in the active slice. The 34% TRL null rate reflects a 2025 data-entry lag for new projects, not a data quality problem.

FO is the only NASA STMD program that systematically uses suborbital vehicles (Blue Origin New Shepard, Virgin Galactic, parabolic aircraft, high-altitude balloons) as flight test platforms for mid-TRL technology. Every project listed here has either completed flight tests or is planning them.

Portfolio Aggregate (Active, 2026-04-04)

By Technology Area

TX Count % Description
TX06 8 15.1% Human Health, Life Support, Habitation
TX08 7 13.2% Sensors and Instruments
TX12 7 13.2% Materials, Structures, Manufacturing
TX01 7 13.2% Propulsion
TX07 6 11.3% ISRU and Exploration Destination Systems
TX09 6 11.3% Entry, Descent, Landing
TX04 3 5.7% Robotics and Autonomous Systems
TX05 2 3.8% Communications and Navigation
TX14 2 3.8% Thermal Management
TX02 2 3.8% Computing and Avionics
TX13 1 1.9% Ground Infrastructure
TX15 1 1.9% Flight Vehicle Systems
TX03 1 1.9% Power Systems

By Lead Org Type

Type Count %
Industry 27 50.9%
Academia 18 34.0%
FFRDC/UARC 3 5.7%
NASA Center 3 5.7%
Non-Profit 2 3.8%

Industry majority (50.9%) is striking — FO is more commercially-oriented than any STMD program except SBIR. NASA Centers lead only 3 projects (SEADS, Laser Welding, TAG Guidance).

TRL Distribution

TRL Count %
(none) 18 34.0%
4 17 32.1%
6 7 13.2%
2 4 7.5%
5 3 5.7%
3 2 3.8%
8 1 1.9%
7 1 1.9%

34% null = 2025 cohort (184xxx IDs) with no TRL entered yet. Ignoring nulls: TRL 4 dominates (49%), with a spike at TRL 6 (20%) from projects mid-way through flight testing. Only 1 TRL 7 (confirmed validated), 1 TRL 8.

Institutional Clusters

Purdue University (4 projects) — Propulsion/Cryogenics

Project ID TRL End Focus
Green Propellant Zero-G Control 106718 4→5 Dec 2026 Environmentally-friendly propellant sloshing in 0-g
Spray Heat Transfer (Cryogenic) 155235 4→5 Jul 2026 Cryogenic tank chilldown via spray injection
Cryogenic 2-Phase Heat Transfer 106638 4→6 Jun 2026 Flow boiling models for in-space propellant transfer
Thermomagnetic Propellant Positioning 158460 4→6 Oct 2026 Georgia Tech, thermomagnetic propellant management for smallsats

Purdue's PI Issam Mudawar (cryogenic heat transfer, 106638) was also the FBCE ISS PI. The UMD heat transfer FO work (sessions 22) and Purdue's FO cluster are parallel data-collection campaigns feeding into the same Artemis cryogenic fluid management database.

Note: Thermomagnetic (158460) is Georgia Tech, not Purdue, but included here as related propulsion.

Ecoatoms, Inc. (3 projects) — Platform Integrator + Biology

Project ID TRL End Focus
In-Space Biosensors 106609 4→6 Dec 2026 Electrochemical point-of-care diagnostics (glucose etc.)
HERMES 184148 4→9* Jun 2027 Automated genetic material extraction
ANIMA 158510 2→8* Jun 2027 Universal payload integration carrier

TRL targets suspicious — see Data Quality section below.

Ecoatoms is building a multi-product portfolio in FO: a payload interface adapter (ANIMA), an automated genomics system (HERMES), and electrochemical biosensors. Three separate FO awards suggests either strong technology maturity or aggressive proposal writing.

JHU Applied Physics Laboratory (3 projects) — Science Instruments + Suborbital

Project ID TRL End Focus
JANUS atmosphere characterization 155239 6→6 Apr 2026 Broadband imaging from commercial RLVs
Chip-scale satellites 106716 6→7 Jun 2026 2-gram autonomous spacecraft
Graphene ion membranes 91432 3→7 Apr 2026 Particle detector applications

JANUS (155239) = "TRL 6→6" = no advancement expected. This is a mature instrument being used as an observation platform on commercial vehicles — characterizing the suborbital flight environment (heat flux, vibration, radiation) to improve FO campaign design.

Technology Theme Analysis

Theme 1: Propulsion and Cryogenics (TX01, 7 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Approach
Green Propellant Zero-G 106718 4→5 Dec 2026 Purdue AF-M315E/LMP-103S sloshing and management
Cryogenic Spray Heat Transfer 155235 4→5 Jul 2026 Purdue Cryogen chilldown spray injection
Cryogenic 2-Phase Coefficients 106638 4→6 Jun 2026 Purdue Flow boiling database for CFM
Thermomagnetic Propellant 158460 4→6 Oct 2026 Georgia Tech Capillary mesh + thermomagnetic positioning for smallsats
RDRE Green Propellants (Juno) 184154 4→7 Jun 2027 Juno Propulsion RDRE with green propellants for satellite propulsion
Ullage Trapping (MUTT) 184147 4→6 Jun 2027 Carthage Acoustic ullage control in propellant tank
HiSPEED electrospray 158447 5→5 Jun 2026 MIT High-Isp electrospray thruster (no advancement target)

Juno Propulsion RDRE (184154) extends the RDRE development chain into FO: STRG academic → GCD [116281] → ECI [154860] TRL 4→6 → TDM [158559] integrated system → FO Juno green-propellant RDRE for commercial satellites. FO is the commercial maturation path for RDRE.

Cryogenic data generation: Three concurrent FO projects are building the Artemis CFM data foundation — spray heat transfer, flow boiling coefficients, thermomagnetic positioning. These feed CDM/LEAPFROG/LOXSAT modeling work documented in cfm-cluster.md.

Theme 2: Life Sciences and Medical (TX06, 8 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Approach
Dehydrated Red Blood Cells 155246 5→7 Jun 2026 U. Louisville Blood transfusion capability in space
Biosensors (Ecoatoms) 106609 4→6 Dec 2026 Ecoatoms Electrochemical point-of-care diagnostics
Water/Nutrient Monitoring (FLEW.ID) 184139 4→6 Jun 2028 Impossible Sensing LIBS for real-time water chemistry
CELS organ-on-chip 184150 3→5 Jun 2027 Helogen Microfluidic cell/organoid biology platform
Cell Sep biomanufacturing 184146 3→5 Jun 2027 Ambrosia Space In-space protein/nutrient manufacturing
Ultrasonic laundry 184142 4→6 Sep 2028 Ultrasonic Technology Solutions Clothes washing for Moon/Mars/ISS
DIMS dust (misclassified TX06.1.1) 106645 4→6 Dec 2026 UCF Dust cloud generation/control in microgravity
Suborbital Genomics 106579 6→6 Jun 2026 U. Florida Gene expression in suborbital environment

FO life sciences is diverse: blood storage, diagnostics, biomanufacturing, food processing, laundry, genomics. This is not a coherent technology program — it's a broad "will FO work for X?" exploration across medical and biological challenges.

Ultrasonic Laundry (184142): Clothing accounts for ~25% of non-food ISS mass deliveries. No laundry system exists in space — astronauts receive fresh clothing at each resupply. Ultrasonic washing + drying reduces crew clothing mass burden. Mundane but high-leverage for long-duration missions.

Biomanufacturing cluster: CELS, Cell Sep, and FLEW.ID represent a new "space biomanufacturing for Earth/space" thesis in FO — distinct from pharmaceutical crystallization (Redwire FAME) and semiconductor manufacturing (SEADS). FO is testing whether continuous-flow cell separation, organoid biology, and real-time chemistry monitoring work in microgravity.

Theme 3: ISRU and Lunar Surface (TX07, 6 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Approach
TOBIAS ejecta tracker 158364 4→6 Apr 2026 Truventic Laser albedo measurement of lander ejecta
MARS-C atmospheric ISRU 184153 4→5 Jun 2027 UT San Antonio Electrochemical O2/H2 from Martian atmosphere
Rego-LIFT regolith conveyor 184145 4→5 Jun 2027 AeroFly Modular vertical conveyor for lunar regolith
SEER solar sintering 158514 5→6 Sep 2027 Blueshift Concentrated solar energy regolith melting
CRUMBLE regolith milling 158666 4→6 May 2026 Interlune Mechanical milling for He-3 extraction
EBDM electron beam dust 184151 4→6 Jun 2027 Space Dust R&T Electron beam dust mitigation (92% cleaning efficacy)

CRUMBLE (158666, 3,556 views) — Interlune Corporation (co-founded by Harrison Schmitt, former Apollo 17 astronaut). Regolith milling in reduced gravity to process He-3 for fusion energy. Uses parabolic flight to test particle size distribution and flow behavior in 0-g. Strong commercial interest (Interlune's business model depends on this working).

SEER (158514, 3,309 views) — Blueshift LLC concentrated solar sintering end-effector. Same energy approach as SO-WARM (solar welding, session 48), applied to regolith construction. TRL 5→6 via parabolic flight — already has flight heritage.

MARS-C (184153) — only FO project explicitly targeting Mars-atmosphere chemistry. Patent-pending electrochemical cell works at Martian temperatures and pressures (CO2-rich, ~0.6% atmospheric pressure). Produces O2, H2, and hydrocarbons from dissolved Martian minerals in water. This is early-stage (TRL 4→5) but represents direct ISRU-for-Mars technology.

Theme 4: Precision Landing and EDL (TX09, 6 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Approach
Astrobotic LiDAR hazard detection 106719 4→7 Jul 2026 Astrobotic Flash LiDAR for autonomous hazard detection
TAG Guidance System 155257 4→6 Aug 2026 GSFC Touch-and-go guidance for small-body sample collection
IMPRESS Mars penetrators 184149 2→6 Jun 2027 Guinn Partners Swarm probes from shielded entry vehicle
Powered Descent GNC Algorithms 155236 4→5 Oct 2026 San Diego State FP2DG + G-POLAR fractional polynomial guidance
Xogdor landing testbed 106610 2→7 Oct 2026 Astrobotic VTVL test vehicle (ex-Masten Xogdor), ground testbed
C-PICA heat shield 155263 6→9 Jul 2026 Varda Space NASA-developed ablative heat shield, commercial production

Astrobotic LiDAR (106719, 3,473 views) — Flash LiDAR hazard detection, TRL 4→7, ends July 2026. This is a critical path item for Astrobotic's next CLPS mission. The LiDAR must demonstrate safe landing site selection capability before a lunar mission can proceed.

Varda C-PICA (155263, 3,005 views) — NASA's Conformal PICA ablative heat shield, developed for Mars/Earth return vehicles, being transferred to Varda Space Industries for commercial production via Tipping Point. Varda has already demonstrated reentry (they've flown a drug manufacturing capsule). TRL 6→9 is the most credible high-TRL target in the active FO portfolio.

Xogdor (106610) — Masten Space Systems developed the Xogdor VTVL vehicle as a higher-performance successor to Xombie. Masten went bankrupt in 2022, Astrobotic acquired the Masten IP/assets for $4.5M. The Xogdor (renamed) is now Astrobotic's precision landing testbed. TRL 2 is very low for a vehicle-level testbed — this may reflect the transition state.

Theme 5: In-Space Manufacturing (TX12, 7 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Approach
SEADS semiconductor printing 155248 4→6 Apr 2026 MSFC + Intel/TEL EHD inkjet printing of semiconductor devices
CMU deployable structures 182833 3→6 Jan 2028 CMU Pop-up extending trusses, 50-100x expansion ratio
MoS2 microgravity annealing 184143 3→5 Apr 2028 GOEPPERT Radiation-hardened 2D semiconductor in microgravity
Auburn dry multimaterial printing 158562 4→6 Oct 2026 Auburn Dry printing for electronics and semiconductors
Redwire FAME pharma crystallization 155247 4→6 May 2026 Redwire PIL-BOX platform for pharmaceutical crystal growth
MSFC Laser Welding 155259 4→6 Oct 2026 MSFC Reduced-gravity laser welding (first flight Aug 2024)
UF electrostatic resonance 106649 4→6 Dec 2026 U. Florida Novel material property measurement in microgravity

SEADS (155248, 4,506 views) — highest-viewed active FO project. See in-space-semiconductor-manufacturing.md. Ends April 30, 2026.

MoS2 annealing (184143) — GOEPPERT LLC tests whether microgravity improves MoS2 semiconductor grain quality during MOCVD annealing. MoS2 is a 2D material (like graphene) with potential for radiation-hardened electronics. Microgravity removes gravity-induced convection during deposition → potentially larger, more uniform grain structures. TRL 3→5, 2025-2028.

Theme 6: Sensors and Science Instruments (TX08, 7 projects)

Project ID TRL End Org Focus
GRAMS LArTPC detector 155253 3→5 Jul 2026 Northeastern Balloon-borne liquid argon detector for gamma/antimatter
SwRI broadband imager 106734 8→8 Dec 2026 SwRI Existing instrument on commercial RLVs
Chip-scale satellites 106716 6→7 Jun 2026 JHU APL 2-gram autonomous spacecraft
Graphene ion membranes 91432 3→7 Apr 2026 JHU APL Graphene membranes for particle detection
HERMES genomics 184148 4→9* Jun 2027 Ecoatoms Automated DNA extraction
Suborbital genomics (UF) 106579 6→6 Jun 2026 U. Florida Gene expression study (no TRL gain expected)
DIMS dust 106645 4→6 Dec 2026 UCF Dust cloud science platform

HERMES flagged — see Data Quality section.

High-View Projects (Community Interest Signal)

Project ID Views Significance
SEADS semiconductor 155248 4,506 Intel/TEL involvement; ends Apr 30
CRUMBLE regolith 158666 3,556 Interlune/Schmitt He-3 bet
Astrobotic LiDAR 106719 3,473 Critical path for CLPS
SEER solar sintering 158514 3,309 Blueshift construction
Ecoatoms biosensors 106609 3,129 Diagnostics
Varda C-PICA 155263 3,005 Commercial heat shield
Georgia Tech thermomagnetic 158460 2,720 Smallsat propulsion
UCF electrostatic regolith 106614 2,693 TRL 7 already
FAME pharma (Redwire) 155247 2,616 Pharmaceutical crystallization
ANIMA (Ecoatoms) 158510 2,606 Universal payload adapter

Data Quality Issues

34% null TRL — All 18 projects with null TRL are from the 2025 cohort (184xxx IDs starting June 2025). TRL data will populate as these projects mature. Not a data quality concern — just data entry lag. Ignoring nulls, TRL 4 = 49% of the non-null active portfolio.

Suspicious TRL jumps: - HERMES (184148) — TRL 4→9 in 2 years. Automated DNA extraction → TRL 9 in 2 years is implausible without a confirmed ISS deployment. More likely: TRL goal is aspirational or will be revised. - ANIMA (158510) — TRL 2→8 in 3 years. Universal payload integration carrier targeting TRL 8 from TRL 2 is very aggressive. Compare to SEADS: TRL 4→6 in 3 years is more typical. - Graphene membranes (91432) — TRL 3→7, ongoing since 2017 (9 years). TRL advance rate is low for timeline. - IMPRESS penetrators (184149) — TRL 2→6 in 2 years. 4-level TRL jump in 2 years for a novel entry system is optimistic.

TX mismatch: - DIMS (106645) — classified TX06.1.1 (Atmosphere Revitalization) but it's a dust science experiment. Should be TX07.2.5 or TX13. - JANUS (155239) — TX05.2.3 (Atmospheric Characterization) is accurate but unusual — it's using a commercial RLV to characterize the suborbital atmospheric environment, not a space sensor per se.

Program Character and FO's Role

FO is the technology validation layer between laboratory (TRL 2-4) and flight-proven (TRL 6-7). It serves as a bridge program: projects enter at TRL 4 and leave at TRL 5-7, with the flight test providing the data that laboratory tests can't. FO is unique in STMD because:

  1. No preferred technology domain — it serves whatever needs suborbital/parabolic flight. This explains the 13 TX areas.
  2. Industry-led (50.9%) — FO is a commercial services program. NASA pays commercial operators (Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, etc.) for rides, and the technology community pays the ride cost or buys through NASA. FO connects the commercial suborbital market to the technology development community.
  3. Very few NASA Center leads (3/51 = 6%) — FO is deliberately structured to push commercial use of suborbital vehicles, not create NASA center work.
  4. Short durations — most projects run 2-4 years. FO is not a long-term development program; it's a campaign-based flight testing service.
  5. Outcome tracking gap — FO has 0 Infused_To and 0 Transitioned_To in TechPort despite clearly producing technology that reaches missions (NDL, PlanetVac, etc.). Outcomes are documented in descriptions, not outcome fields.

Notable Commercial Companies in Active FO

Company Projects Relevance
Astrobotic 106719, 106610 LiDAR + Xogdor testbed for lunar CLPS missions
Varda Space Industries 155263 Commercial reentry capsule + C-PICA heat shield
Interlune 158666 Harrison Schmitt's He-3 mining company
Blueshift LLC 158514 Solar sintering + SO-WARM welding (two active FO projects)
Juno Propulsion 184154 RDRE green propellants for commercial satellites
Ecoatoms 106609, 184148, 158510 3 FO projects: biosensors, HERMES, ANIMA
Redwire Space 155247 Pharmaceutical crystallization (PIL-BOX)

Upcoming Closeouts (2026)

Project ID End TRL Watch for
EjectaBLAST (lander ejecta laser) 158364 Apr 2026 4→6 Laser backscatter ejecta characterization; Truventic LLC; TX07.2.5; will miss TRL 6 (confirmed TRL 4, session 58); 2,132 views; see tx09-edl.md PSI section
SEADS semiconductor 155248 Apr 2026 4→6 Final Intel/TEL outcome
MCEPC power converter 184141 May 2026 4→6 Power converter demo
CRUMBLE regolith 158666 May 2026 4→6 Interlune He-3 milling
FAME pharma 155247 May 2026 4→6 Pharmaceutical outcome
Astrobotic LiDAR 106719 Jul 2026 4→7 CLPS-critical: TRL 7 hit?
TAG Guidance 155257 Aug 2026 4→6 GSFC small-body guidance
HiSPEED electrospray 158447 Jun 2026 5→5 No gain target — why?
Varda C-PICA 155263 Jul 2026 6→9 Commercial TPS production
Red Blood Cells 155246 Jun 2026 5→7 Medical spaceflight capability

SEADS and CRUMBLE close April-May. Astrobotic LiDAR closes July — the most CLPS-critical closeout in the active FO portfolio. TRL 7 would validate their hazard detection for lunar landing; TRL miss would create a risk item for the mission.

Cross-References