NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, is the United States government agency responsible for space exploration, space technology, and aeronautics research. As a space agency, NASA leads both crewed and robotic missions, develops new space technologies, and conducts research in space science. NASA is known for its partnerships with organizations like ESA and its work on programs like the International Space Station (ISS), the Artemis Program, and the Space Launch System (SLS). Associated keywords include: space exploration, aeronautics, space technology, and scientific discovery.
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SBIC-NASA is part of the Small Business Investment Company program administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
NASA has spent $17 million to accelerate SpaceX flights originally planned for Starliner.
NASA awarded three Commercial Lunar Payload Services contracts totaling nearly $590 million to Astrobotic Technology, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines on June 30, 2026.
NASA has already tested asteroid deflection with the DART mission using a kinetic impactor.
The NASA CLPS contracts fund uncrewed logistics flights scheduled to deliver science instruments, autonomous rovers, and infrastructure hardware to the lunar surface in 2028.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program has insufficient contracted flights to fully crew the International Space Station through its planned 2030 decommission.
NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has been gradually losing altitude because increased atmospheric drag from recent solar storms has slowed its orbit.
NASA reduced Swift’s average cross-sectional area by approximately 30% by powering down major science instruments and relaxing solar array orientation rules.
NASA awarded Katalyst Space the contract in September 2025 to design, build, test, and launch a spacecraft capable of meeting, grabbing, and lifting Swift.
NASA will identify technological priorities and supply-chain needs for SBIC-NASA through its new Strategic Capital Office.
Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL rocket was scheduled to carry LINK, Katalyst Space’s robotic servicing spacecraft for NASA’s Swift observatory.
NASA has invested more than $9.8 billion in the Commercial Crew Program since 2014.
A 2022 modification added eight additional post-certification missions to SpaceX’s Commercial Crew contract.
NASA will not schedule Starliner-1 until investigations into Starliner’s helium leaks and propulsion system failures are complete.
NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks in the service module, propulsion system thruster failures, and parachute anomalies as the three main technical problems affecting Starliner certification.
The Starliner crewed flight test CFT launched in June 2024 carrying NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams on an 8-day mission.
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and Pennsylvania State University’s Eberly College of Science in University Park made operational changes to keep Swift at least 185 miles above Earth.
SBIC-NASA directs private investment funds to allocate at least 60% of the capital they raise to areas identified as strategic by NASA.
NASA and the U.S. Small Business Administration launched SBIC-NASA to strengthen the U.S. space supply chain through greater private capital involvement.
NASA was overconfident in Boeing’s use of heritage systems and did not require sufficient integrated testing for Starliner.