The NASA Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) Flight Opportunities Program (hereafter “the Program”) combines the FY 2010 Facilitated Access to the Space environment for Technology (FAST) and Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research (CRuSR) efforts. The integration of these efforts allows for greater program management alignment and provides the technology community access to the microgravity environment via multiple platforms. The OCT intends to mature to flight readiness status crosscutting technologies that advance multiple future space missions. To this end, the Program will provide frequent flight opportunities for technology payloads on both parabolic aircraft and suborbital reusable launch vehicles (sRLVs) that are capable of flying to various altitudes, including altitudes above 100 km, but remaining suborbital. NASA is presently not considering human-tended payloads to be flown on sRLVs, and there will not be any NASA sponsored participants on sRLV flights relating to this particular announcement. The payloads to be flown on sRLV flights must either be automated or remotely operated. Technology payloads are being solicited under a separate Announcement of Flight Opportunities issued by the Program.
