The Heliophysics Low Cost Access to Space (H-LCAS) program seeks to investigate key heliophysics science questions and to advance the development of technologies and their application to enable new investigations of heliophysics science questions in the coming years. This is achieved through investigations flown on suborbital rockets, stratospheric balloons, or airborne platforms. Note that in addition to the traditional LCAS platforms provided through the NASA Sounding Rockets Operations Contract (NSROC), the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) and the NASA Airborne Science Program (ASP), a new-generation of commercial sub-orbital platforms are now available for LCAS investigations through the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) commercial suborbital Flight Opportunities Program (FOP). More information regarding the current suborbital platforms available to H-LCAS proposers can be found in the NASA SMD Suborbital Research web page (https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/suborbital). For clarity regarding investigations involving commercial flight providers, no human-tended research payloads nor EntryDescent-Landing (EDL) type vehicles will be considered in this solicitation. It is anticipated that some of the technologies developed through the H-TIDeS (program element B.8) might be proposed to H-LCAS to mature by demonstration in a relevant environment, however, this is not a prerequisite for submitting a proposal to H-LCAS.
Awards:
VariousĀ
Anticipated Funding Amount:
$5 - $7 millionĀ
Letter of Intent:
Please contact the program director.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline:
Step-1 proposals are due September 23, 2024
Contacts:
Dan Moses Heliophysics Division Science Mission Directorate NASA Headquarters Washington, DC 20546-0001 Email: dan.moses@nasa.gov