Early Stage Innovations - In Situ Resource Utilization (ESI26 ISRU)

The Space Technology Research Grants (STRG) Program’s Early Stage Innovations (ESI) Appendix solicits proposals from U.S. institutions of higher education (IHEs) for innovative, early-stage space technology research of high priority to NASA. Proposals are sought on specific space technologies that are currently at low Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs). The appendix challenges IHEs to examine the theoretical feasibility of new ideas and approaches that are critical to making space exploration, space science, and other civil space pursuits more effective, affordable, and sustainable. The Appendix exclusively seeks proposals that are responsive to the topic described in

C.2 of this Appendix: Lunar In Situ Resource Utilization Water Purification. The Appendix exclusively seeks proposals that are primarily responsive to civil-space needs and use cases and not terrestrial and/or non-civil-space applications

Only U.S. IHEs are eligible to submit proposals to this Appendix. The Principal Investigator (PI) must be either a tenured faculty member or an untenured faculty member on the tenure track from the proposing IHE. Teaming and collaboration are permitted, subject to the restrictions described in B.1 of this Appendix.