Opportunities
Participation in Earth Science Technology Office programs helps NASA to create the technologies necessary to meet Earth science objectives throughout the 21st century. In general, the ESTO seeks to identify, develop and (where appropriate) demonstrate technologies that:
- Enable new Earth science observation measurements and information products;
- Increase the accessibility and utility of science data; and
- Reduce the risk, cost, size and development time of spaceborne, airborne and ground-based observation and information systems.
ESTO employs a flexible, science-driven technology development strategy and competitive selection process that leads to consistently-high levels of infusion. ESTO-funded technologies have supported numerous Earth and space science missions as well as commercial applications. Currently, we hold a broad portfolio of over 650 past and active investments at over 100 institutions – small and large corporations, colleges and universities, NASA centers, and other Federal labs – nationwide.
Programs
ESTO's four primary funding areas are:
- The Instrument Incubator Program (IIP) - Innovative instrument development from concept through breadboard and demonstration
- The Advanced Component Technologies (ACT) program - Components and subsystem development for instruments and platforms
- The Advanced Information Systems Technology (AIST) program - Large-volume data acquisition, processing and access; automation; communications; sensor webs and other distributed systems; and high performance modelling and computing applications.
- The In-Space Validation of Earth Science Technologies (InVEST) program - advance the readiness of existing Earth Science related technology and reduce risks to future missions through space flight validation.
ESTO also partners with other NASA offices, such as the Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR) program and the Airborne Science Program, to facilitate related technology development and validation activities.
Solicitations
ESTO programs release regular, periodic solicitations for new proposals, typically on a three-year cycle. The solicitations take the form of NASA Research Announcements (NRAs), normally the annual ROSES (Research Opportunities in Earth and Space Sciences) NRA, and are accessed through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NASA NSPIRES) website. Below is the solicitation plan for the current period.
[Please note that these are projected solicitations and planning dates only. These planned solicitations
have not been formally approved and NASA cannot guarantee that the final solicitations will be released,
or that they will be released by or on the planning date.]
Visit the ESTO Solicitations page on this website for more information.