As NASA gears up for extended missions to the Moon, setting the stage for human exploration of Mars, the agency is leveraging America’s burgeoning space economy to guide its strategic technology investments. This initiative, spearheaded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), seeks collaboration with U.S. industry leaders, academic institutions, and other government bodies to prioritize critical technology development needs—referred to as shortfalls—for future science and exploration missions.
“NASA wants to hear directly from the nation’s brightest minds to drive solutions for our greatest technology needs as we lead America’s exploration through the solar system,” said Greg Stover, acting associate administrator for NASA’s STMD at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As we pursue collaboration with industry to support our most ambitious missions and increase agility, prioritizing NASA’s technology efforts ensures the most efficient and impactful progress for the agency and its stakeholders.”
Engaging the Aerospace Community
Until Friday, February 20, NASA is soliciting input from the aerospace community on consolidated technology shortfalls. These include developing infrastructure and capabilities for sustained operations in lunar and Martian environments. Technology stakeholders are invited to participate in virtual meetings, provide feedback, and submit their shortfall rankings to the agency.
This initiative builds on NASA’s inaugural shortfall ranking exercise in 2024, which asked participants to rank 187 civil space shortfalls, resulting in an integrated list of technology priorities. Based on feedback from stakeholders during the first exercise, NASA has streamlined the process by consolidating the shortfalls into 32 broader, integrated categories, each addressing specific needs to provide further definition and context. This restructuring maintains the original content’s depth while creating a more efficient and accessible feedback mechanism for participants.
Guiding Technology Development
NASA will analyze and aggregate the rankings to produce priority lists for each stakeholder group, which will be publicly available for ongoing collaboration. This prioritization framework will guide NASA’s evaluation of current technology development efforts, identifying necessary adjustments within its existing portfolios.
“The shortfall prioritization process may inspire new investments within NASA or spark innovative partnerships with external stakeholders. This initiative also has the potential to unlock emerging commercial opportunities and accelerate growth in the U.S. space economy.”
As NASA approaches its next mission to the Moon, prioritizing the most crucial and impactful efforts allows the agency to direct available resources to best support mission needs for both the agency and the nation. To maintain this collaborative approach, STMD plans to conduct feedback sessions and workshops every three years with industry, academia, and other government agencies, fostering a dynamic process that continuously incorporates stakeholder insights and end-user perspectives.
Long-Term Vision and Collaboration
The agency remains committed to refining this engagement framework, ensuring it delivers maximum value to all participants while advancing America’s leadership in space exploration and technology development. This proactive approach not only strengthens NASA’s mission capabilities but also positions the United States as a leader in the global space economy.
To review the list of technology shortfalls and contribute to NASA Space Technology’s prioritization effort, visit: NASA Space Technology Priorities.
By: Jasmine Hopkins
