WASHINGTON - This spring, NASA published a document overviewing almost 200 technology areas requiring further development to meet future exploration, science, and other mission needs – and asked the aerospace community to rate their importance. The goal was to better integrate the community’s most pervasive technical challenges, or shortfalls, to help guide NASA’s space technology development and investments, Anyah Dembling writes for the agency.
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The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
26 July 2024 - NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) released the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking document. This report integrates inputs from various NASA entities, industry organizations, government agencies, academia, and other stakeholders. STMD will use this list and its annual updates to help guide technology development projects and investments.
Key capability areas in the top 20 included advanced habitation systems, autonomous systems and robotics, communications and navigation, power, avionics, and nuclear propulsion. Beyond the top quartile, shortfall scores varied according to stakeholders' interests and expertise. Many shortfalls are interdependent, highlighting the importance of strategic investments across multiple areas to maintain U.S. leadership in space technology and drive economic growth.
The civil space shortfall ranking is available here: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/civil-space-shortfall-ranking-july-2024.pdf.
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Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
