NASA changes science mission selection to speed up competitions — Space.com
NASA is changing the procedure for selecting and developing scientific space missions under the new Competition Model 2.0. The reform is intended to reduce teams' costs for preparing applications, simplify competitive procedures, and accelerate mission implementation. Space.com reports, citing an open letter from NASA Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Nicky Fox dated October 21.
Fewer requirements at the start of the competition
Currently, many NASA science missions are selected through calls for proposals, under which researchers and institutions submit proposals. Under the current two-stage procedure, teams must prepare detailed engineering and financial plans before finalists are selected. The entire process can take nearly three years.
Competition Model 2.0 provides that at the first stage NASA will focus more on the scientific value of a project. Teams will submit a description of the mission's scientific objectives and a preliminary plan for its implementation, while being able to move a significant part of the technical and financial work to the next stage.
New timelines for different mission classes
The two-stage selection process will be retained for the Discovery, New Frontiers, and Astro-Probes programs, but the volume of materials for the initial application is planned to be reduced by nearly half. NASA expects this to shorten the procedure from 35 to about 19.5 months.
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Medium-class Explorer (MIDEX) and Earth Explorer missions will be opened to a broader range of applicants, including universities and commercial organizations. When evaluating potential developers, the agency will consider their experience implementing projects of similar cost, scale, and complexity. Teams led by principal investigators will also be able to seek support from the Goddard Space Flight Center or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the first stage of the competition.
Single-stage selection for small projects
For smaller and less expensive programs, NASA plans to move to single-stage selection without a second round of competitive proposals. This will apply to Small Explorer, Earth Venture, Missions of Opportunity, hosted payloads, and rideshares. According to the agency's estimate, final selection for such missions could be reduced from about 32 to 19 months.
At the same time, flagship missions will remain under the current procedures, which were previously revised based on experience developing the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA also announced stricter control of costs and schedules: exceeding the established limits could result in a mission's cancellation.
