NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate — Flight Opportunities logo
Funder · Federal agency

NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate — Flight Opportunities

Runs NASA mission opportunities connecting flight experiments and technology demonstrations.

United Stateswww.nasa.gov
Key stats
Annual funding—
Programs5
Active grants1
Total grants2
About

NASA Flight Opportunities is a program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) that funds flight tests of space technologies on commercial suborbital and orbital vehicles. It connects researchers from universities, companies, and private institutions with commercial flight providers to mature technologies for NASA missions and commercial space applications. The program ran TechFlights annually 2021–2023, replaced in 2024 by the TechLeap Prize. A student track called TechRise operates separately.

Programs & grants under this funder
NASA TechFlights

Funds U.S.-based industry, academia, and non-profit organizations flight-testing space technologies on commercial suborbital and orbital vehicles.

1 grant
NASA TechFlights
Paused
— pool
NASA TechLeap Prize: Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge

Funds developers of payloads that can be manipulated by a robotic arm in low Earth orbit with cash prizes and a hosted orbital flight test.

1 grant
NASA TechLeap Prize: Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge
Open
— pool·38 days
NASA Flight Opportunities Payload Selections

Supports NASA flight opportunities for payload experiments, helping United States teams prove technology in real missions.

TechFlights

Runs Direct NASA funding flight tests space technologies commercial suborbital orbital vehicles.

TechLeap Prize

Offers cash prizes and space flight test opportunities for competitive space technology payload challenges.

Parent entityNational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Last verified: 27 May 2026Source: www.nasa.gov