NASA Science is changing how it competes and selects missions to deliver science faster. On Monday, 26 October, NASA will host a virtual NASA Science Town Hall from NASA Headquarters, where it will explain the new Competition Model 2.0 (CM 2.0) and answer questions.
The current two-stage process required years to execute mission concepts. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman authorised the Science Mission Directorate to act and make the mission selection process smoother, more efficient and more effective. The Administrator ordered the acceleration of science delivery, a reduction in the time and resources spent on long competition processes, and a focus on funding the highest-priority missions in each NASA Science division. Changes will be introduced in phases and refined with community input.
CM2.0 begins with the idea of competing on science first. Proposals will be science-focused and will not require detailed engineering plans, costs or implementation work until needed for a decision. CM2.0 will not change how the largest missions (Flagships) are managed, as that process has already been reformed. Following the James Webb Space Telescope, NASA conducted a Large Mission Study that drew lessons from Webb and best practices into a single documented approach for building large missions. Flagships will continue to follow this approach, with NASA directing the overall mission to a leading NASA centre, and then competing science teams and instruments through targeted calls.
Astro-Probes, New Frontiers and Discovery are moving to a new, accelerated two-stage competition. Step 1 requires only three things: a compelling scientific case, a science implementation plan, and a proof of concept for the mission design. Step 1 eliminates approximately half of the material currently required in response to an Announcement of Opportunity (AO). Principal Investigators (PIs) without a major university or commercial backing will receive fair consideration, and NASA PIs at any NASA centre remain eligible to respond.
Step 2 is a Mission Implementation Study conducted with one of NASA’s two Science Centers of Excellence: Goddard Space Flight Center or Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA SMD may assign the implementation study (under GSFC management) for New Frontiers or Discovery to JHU/APL depending on the selected science. The mission implementation study links pre-Phase A and Phase A by assessing scientific value, science implementation value and mission implementation value to identify risks early. Down-selection to one mission occurs at the midpoint of Phase A, and the selected mission completes Phase A and reaches KDP-B with a completed mission implementation design. Teams not selected are relieved of carrying concepts through the rest of Phase A independently.
Updates to the mission selection process will reduce the time from AO to selection in step 2 by up to 45 per cent. The original timeline of 35 months will be reduced to approximately 19.5 months. MIDEX and Earth Explorer follow the same two-stage approach with a broader field of implementation organisations, including universities and industrial partners. Implementation organisations and partners will be evaluated based on past results on projects of similar complexity and cost before mission selection. PI-led teams can request pairing with a Goddard or JPL implementation team during step 1 selection. NASA can provide Centre support to help with procurement, contract management or rapid resolution of technical challenges. For MIDEX and Earth Explorer, the result will be a reduction in the selection timeline by up to 45 per cent.
SMEX, Missions of Opportunity, Earth Venture, Hosted Payloads and Ride Shares are moving to a single-stage competition with a smaller review team and virtual site visits. They will be open to a wide range of implementation organisations. For these, the time to final selection will fall from approximately 32 months to approximately 19 months, a reduction of up to 40 per cent. The smallest missions will leverage the momentum of the mature commercial space economy and move even faster.
