SpaceDev AO notice

Greetings,

Here are the main topics of this email:

1) Current NASA SBIR solicitation

2) Upcoming NASA Discovery mission solicitation

3) Upcoming NASA mini-Discovery program

This is a SpaceDev Announcement of Opportunity (AO) to team
with SpaceDev to develop small, low-cost commercial space
products.

This is also an advanced notice that SpaceDev is interested in
finding experienced PIs for the upcoming NASA Discovery mission
AO, especially in the area of low-cost Missions of Opportunity
(MO) related to space science data purchases. Our primary
science data interests are: lunar orbiter, asteroid rendezvous,
Phobos and Deimos, however we are open to other inner planet
suggestions by PIs.

Later this year NASA intends to introduce a new program of mini-
Discovery missions. We believe these may be ideally suited to the
low-cost micromission spacecraft and types of inner-planet
missions SpaceDev designed as a result of our JPL Mars
MicroMission study and our internal mission planning efforts since
then.

Concerning the SBIR program, SpaceDev has identified about 30
technologies it believes are important to its long-term progress,
growth and profitability.

SpaceDev seeks to find sources of funding that will help SpaceDev
acquire the ability to develop, own or control these technologies.
Various government research programs are potential sources for
these product development funds. The NASA SBIR (Small
Business Innovative Research) program is one example of such
money sources.

The references below point to areas in which SpaceDev has strong
interest. SpaceDev is seeking partners with which to submit joint
proposals in one or more of the areas listed below.

If you would like to team with SpaceDev on an SBIR project, you
must meet all of the requirements listed in the NASA SBIR
solicitation. Summary information and general SBIR links are
provided at the bottom of this notice.

Please contact me, via email only, if you would like to explore
teaming with SpaceDev, and if you meet all of the requirements of
this SBIR program. Our resources are limited, so we must be very
selective in the projects we undertake.

Of potential interest to you should be our potential for flying
missions to demonstrate the proposed technologies during a later
phase in the program.

We are interested only in projects that move directly into
commercial space products, not technologies that require
extended R&D.

Sincerely,

Jim Benson

CEO

SpaceDev

03.02 Revolutionary Space Propulsion Technologies

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic03.html

08.01 In Situ Resources Utilization of Planetary Materials for
Human Space Missions

08.02 Robotics

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic08.html

12.01 Telescience and Outreach for Space Exploration

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic12.html

16.04 Spacecraft Technology for Nanosats

16.05 Solar Sails

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic16.html

18.02 Precision Constellations for Interferometry

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic18.html

19.03 Sample Access, Handling, and In Situ Investigation Systems

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic19.html

Advanced Power and Onboard Propulsion

20.02 In-Space Propulsion

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic20.html

Distributed Spacecraft

22.01 Telecommunications and Data Management for Formation
Flying
22.02 Formation Control

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic22.html

23.01 High Performance Communication Technologies for
Interplanetary Missions

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic23.html

Thinking Space Systems

24.01 Automated Reasoning for Autonomous Systems

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic24.html

Next generation Infrastructure

27.01 Sensor Webs and Robotic Outposts

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic27.html

Atmospheric and In-space Systems

29.01 Automated Rendezvous and Docking

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/topic29.html

General Information:

CHAPTER 8 RESEARCH TOPICS

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/chapter8.html

NASA SBIR 2000 Program Solicitation

http://sbir.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir2000/phase1/solicitation/index.html

“Subject to the availability of funds, NASA plans to select about
290 proposals in mid-October 2000 for negotiation of Phase-I fixed-
price contracts. NASA anticipates that about 40 percent of these
Phase-I projects will be selected for Phase-II. The FY 2000 NASA
SBIR Program budget is approximately $92.1M.

The purposes of the SBIR program as established by law are: to
stimulate technological innovation in the private sector; to
strengthen the role of small business concerns in meeting federal
research and development needs; to increase the commercial
application of these research results; and to encourage
participation of socially and economically disadvantaged persons
and women-owned small businesses.

Only firms qualifying as SBCs as defined in Section 2.1 of this
Solicitation are eligible to participate in the SBIR program.”