Advancement of “Science as a Service (SaaS)” for NASA and Commercial Partners Request for Information
A new Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Request for Information (RFI) entitled “Advancement of “Science as a Service (SaaS) for NASA and Commercial Partners” (NNH26ZDA006L) seeks input from commercial and research communities on future strategies for NASA’s emerging Science as a Service (SaaS) initiative that aims to accelerate technology maturation, advance public-private partnerships, and expand access to space for next‑generation science capabilities. Through this RFI, NASA seeks to engage with the commercial and research communities across Earth Science, Space Weather, and Astrophysics.
The SaaS RFI requests input from U.S. and international stakeholders—including industry, universities, nonprofits, Federally‑-Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), government partners, and individual researchers—on topics such as:
- Commercial technology needs that could benefit from NASA validation or flight access.
- Demonstration and on-orbit validation requirements for commercial use cases.
- Streamlined integration pathways, payload interfaces, and data operations support.
- Transition of NASA-validated technologies into commercial offerings and product lines.
- Approaches to strengthen and expand partnerships across the Earth Science, Space Weather, and Astrophysics communities.
Responses are due by April 23, 2026. Responses will directly inform NASA’s Venture Technology Accelerator (VTA) in Earth Science, Space Weather observational architecture planning, and emerging astrophysics technology transition concepts. Specifically this RFI seeks to:
- Expand collaborative pathways that lower technical, schedule, and financial risk for emerging science technologies.
- Enable NASA and partners to validate and transition next‑generation sensors, instruments, subsystems, and data‑processing capabilities.
- Strengthen commercial hosting, rideshare, and downstream applications of NASA‑developed technologies.
- Support vibrant commercial ecosystems for Earth Science, Space Weather, and Astrophysics domains.
For the full text of the RFI and response instructions, visit the SaaS landing page on the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at https://go.nasa.gov/saasrfi .
Questions and comments concerning this RFI may be sent to: Michael Seablom, Associate Director for Technology, Earth Science Division, NASA Headquarters, [email protected], or Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Director, Astrophysics Division, NASA Headquarters, [email protected].
Please do not use these email addresses for RFI submissions. RFI submissions made through email will not be considered.
Astrobiology, Astronomy, Space Biology,
