Appendix 26A: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I

NASA's FY26-27 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Appendix 26A-I SBIR Phase I Funding Opportunity solicits proposals for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I. Proposals are due by May 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET, with a limit of two submissions per offeror. This appendix outlines submission instructions in Chapter 6 and technical research topics in Chapter 9, emphasizing that its specific requirements take precedence over the main BAA in case of conflict. Key research areas include the development of hydrazine-compatible elastomeric materials for long-duration spaceflight, flight demonstrations of commercial in-space logistics and robotic manipulation, advanced spacesuit architectures for Mars exploration, ASCENT thruster pre-heat optimization, Mars Solar Array Technology innovations, and energy storage solutions for long-duration missions. The document details specific deliverables for both Phase I and Phase II for each research topic, along with current states of the art and critical gaps in technology.

This government file details Amendment 1 to the NASA SBIR/STTR Program FY26-27 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Appendix 26A: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Funding Opportunity. The amendment incorporates FAR 52.222-90 addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors. The solicitation outlines critical requirements for offerors, including acknowledging the amendment and adhering to submission deadlines. Key dates are May 21, 2026, for proposal submission and May 20, 2026, for Help Desk inquiries. The document emphasizes electronic submission via ProSAMS, limits offerors to two proposals, and details various research subtopics across different NASA centers. These subtopics include developing hydrazine-compatible elastomeric materials for long-duration spaceflight, flight demonstrations of commercial in-space logistics and robotic manipulation systems, advanced spacesuit architectures for Mars exploration, ASCENT thruster pre-heat optimization, Mars Solar Array Technology innovations, and energy storage for long-duration missions. Each subtopic specifies problem statements, objectives, desired deliverables for Phase I and II, current state-of-the-art, critical gaps, and relevant shortfalls/decadal surveys, aiming to advance various space technologies.