Commercial Development Policy of the NASA Exploration Systems Mission Directorate

Paper number

IAC-08.E6.3.3

Author

Mr. Ken Davidian, NASA, United States

Year

2008

Abstract

NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD) understands the benefits to a thriving commercial space industry and has developed a policy that will help the space agency accomplish its exploration goals through the acquisition of commercial space capabilities. This paper gives the goals and rationale of the ESMD Commercial Development Policy (ECDP). The statements of authority and of policy supporting this strategy are provided and a comparison is made between the ECDP and the existing NASA Technology Commercialization Policy. A detailed derivation and description of the basic components of the ECDP are given including the targeted barriers of entry to the successful development of commercial space capability industries, and strategic elements that provide a framework to guide the programs and projects that support the ECDP. Finally, three currently existing NASA programs are described that were initiated before the creation and approval of ECDP, but which fully support the ECDP goals.

The ECDP received ESMD concurrence with specific goals of encouraging the development of emerging commercial space capabilities to help complement NASA’s exploration mission goals using standard commercial acquisition tools available to NASA in a way that retains all intellectual property rights with the industry. Special emphasis is given to the inclusion of commercial opportunities in the development of exploration architectures developed by NASA. The ECDP is a natural evolution of the NASA Technology Commercialization Policy. Three barriers of entry to start-up space companies have been identified that can be affected by the ECDP, including (1) encouraging investor funding in commercial space companies, (2) encouraging the production of commercial space goods and services, and (3) encouraging the demand for commercial space goods and services. Specific policy elements, a variety of generalized constructs that provide a set of frameworks within which ESMD programs and projects can be developed, are given and described. They are designed to lower the barriers identified above and support the stated ECDP goals. NASA programs and organizations have already been created and implemented which support the ECDP, including Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), the Space Portal at NASA Ames, and NASA’s prize program, Centennial Challenges.

Abstract document

IAC-08.E6.3.3.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.E6.3.3.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

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