NASA Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO)

NASA Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO)

Offers United States space research collaborators access to NASA facilities, expertise, and hardware through partnership agreements.

NASA's Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) is a non-financial partnership mechanism administered by the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) that connects commercial companies with NASA's technical resources without any exchange of money. Established under Space Act Agreement authority, the ACO allows industry partners to leverage NASA subject matter experts, test facilities, hardware, and software at no cost, and requires no industry cost-share. Since the program's inception in 2015, NASA has executed approximately 80 ACO collaborations spanning lunar lander development, propellant transfer systems, navigation software, sensing systems, and lunar vehicle components.

In 2025, NASA restructured the ACO mechanism as a five-year Standing Announcement (reference number NNH25ZTR002O), valid through approximately 2030. The standing announcement issues topic-specific appendices every six to twelve months to address evolving space technology priorities. The inaugural Appendix A closed on September 24, 2025; subsequent appendices are released on a rolling basis with their own deadlines. Eligible participants are for-profit commercial entities only — nonprofit organizations, universities, and research institutions are not eligible under this instrument. No minimum TRL or team size requirements are specified.

Proposals are submitted through NASA's NSPIRES portal (nspires.nasaprs.com). Companies should review the standing announcement and any open appendix for specific topic areas before submitting. Because the collaboration is entirely unfunded, the primary value lies in accelerating technology development through access to NASA's unique infrastructure and expertise, which can de-risk programs and improve competitive positioning for subsequent funded opportunities such as SBIR, STTR, or Flight Opportunities.