NASA Science changes mission selection under Competition Model 2.0

NASA Science said it is changing how it competes for and selects missions under Competition Model 2.0 (CM 2.0). The agency will explain the model and answer questions during a virtual NASA Science Town Hall on Monday, October 26. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman directed the Science Mission Directorate to accelerate science delivery and focus funding on the highest-priority missions across every NASA Science division.

NASA said CM2.0 will not change the process for its largest missions. Flagships will continue using the approach documented in the Large Mission Study, which NASA conducted after the James Webb Space Telescope. NASA will direct each overall mission to a lead NASA Center, which will then compete science teams and instruments through targeted solicitations.

Astro-Probes, New Frontiers, and Discovery will move to an accelerated two-step competition. Step 1 will focus on the science case, science implementation plan, and proof-of-concept mission design. Principal Investigators without major university or commercial backing will receive fair consideration, and NASA Principal Investigators at any NASA Center will remain eligible to respond.

At Step 2, NASA will evaluate scientific merit, science implementation merit, and mission implementation merit through a Mission Implementation Study. The agency said this will identify risks earlier and free teams that are not selected from carrying their concepts through the rest of Phase A. NASA expects the original 35-months timeline to fall to about 19.5 months, a reduction of up to 45 percent.

SMEX, Missions of Opportunity, Earth Venture, Hosted Payloads, and Ride Shares will move to a single-step competition with a smaller review team and virtual site visits. The time to final selection is expected to drop from about 32 months to about 19 months, a reduction of up to 40 percent. A broader range of implementing organizations will be eligible, including universities and industry partners.

NASA said mission and implementation teams will be expected to use commercial buses, subsystems, multi-mission operations, and other industry capabilities where they offer a technical or cost benefit. Rigorous cost and schedule control will remain mandatory across every mission class. NASA said breaches of control thresholds could lead to mission termination.