NASA’s 2024 Civil Space Technology Shortfall Ranking: Key Takeaways

NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) released the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking, a comprehensive document identifying and ranking nearly 200 technology areas that require further development to support future space exploration, science, and other mission needs. The results integrate input from a wide range of stakeholders, including NASA mission directorates and centers, industry entities, government agencies, academia, and individual experts in the space sector.

Background and Methodology

In April 2024, NASA published an overview of 187 technology shortfalls and sought input from the aerospace community to rate their importance. The goal was to identify the most critical technical challenges to guide NASA’s technology development and investment strategies. The shortfalls span 20 capability categories, including Advanced Habitat Systems, Autonomous Systems and Robotics, and Thermal Management Systems.

NASA received 1,231 responses, with 769 internal and 462 external inputs. The feedback was sorted into nine stakeholder groups, including NASA directorates, large and small industry organizations, other government agencies, and academia. The responses were scored on a scale from 0 to 9, and the average scores were used to rank the shortfalls.

Top-Ranked Technology Shortfalls

The integrated ranking highlights the most critical technology shortfalls. Here are the top five:

1. Survive and Operate Through the Lunar Night (Thermal Management Systems)
   This shortfall emphasizes the need for technologies that enable lunar missions to withstand the extreme cold of the lunar night.
2. High Power Energy Generation on Moon and Mars Surfaces (Power)
   Developing robust power generation systems for lunar and Martian surfaces is crucial for sustained exploration and operations.
3. High-Performance Onboard Computing for Complex Operations (Avionics)
   Advanced computing capabilities are necessary to support increasingly complex space missions.
4. Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) for In-Orbit and Surface Applications (Communication and Navigation)
   Reliable PNT systems are essential for navigation and communication in space.
5. Robotic Actuation and System Architectures for Long-Duration and Extreme Environment Operation (Autonomous Systems and Robotics)
   Enhancing robotic systems to operate in harsh environments for extended periods is vital for future missions.

Stakeholder Insights

The ranking report reflects the diverse perspectives of various stakeholders:

NASA Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD)
Prioritized technologies that align with the Artemis program and other exploration goals.

NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD)
Focused on technologies that support scientific research and data collection.

Large and Small Industry
Emphasized innovations that foster the growth of the space economy and support small business innovation.

Academia
Highlighted the importance of early-stage investments and transformative technologies.

Large Industry and Small Industry Rankings

The document also provides insights into the specific priorities of large and small industry stakeholders:

Large Industry
Large industry stakeholders, defined as organizations with more than 500 employees, prioritized technologies that support large-scale, long-term space missions. Their top shortfalls include:

1. High Power Energy Generation on Moon and Mars Surfaces
2. Survive and Operate Through the Lunar Night
3. In-space and On-surface, Long-duration Storage of Cryogenic Propellant

Small Industry
Small industry stakeholders, defined as organizations with 500 or fewer employees, focused on innovative and scalable solutions. Their top shortfalls include:

1. High Power Energy Generation on Moon and Mars Surfaces
2. Survive and Operate Through the Lunar Night
3. Extraction and separation of water from extraterrestrial surface material

These rankings reflect the unique perspectives and priorities of different industry sizes, emphasizing the need for both large-scale infrastructure and innovative, scalable technologies.

NASA’s Key Findings and Future Plans

NASA’s release of the 2024 Civil Space Shortfall Ranking document aims to align the space technology development efforts across various stakeholders. Jim Free, NASA Associate Administrator, discussed the importance of this initiative, stating:

“Identifying consensus among challenges across the aerospace industry will help us find solutions, together. This is the groundwork for strengthening the nation’s technological capabilities to pave the way for new discoveries, economic opportunities, and scientific breakthroughs that benefit humanity.”

Key findings include:

Strong Consensus

There was significant agreement among stakeholders on the top 30 most important shortfalls.

Strategic Investments

The interdependence of many shortfalls underscores the need for strategic investments across multiple areas to maintain U.S. leadership in space technology.

Portfolio Evaluation

STMD is assessing its current technology development efforts against the integrated list to identify potential adjustments.

Collaborative Approach

The ranking process demonstrates NASA’s commitment to working across directorates and with external partners to address future architecture needs.

Annual Updates

NASA plans to refine the process and results annually, ensuring the approach remains relevant and useful for guiding space technology endeavors.

This initiative represents a collaborative effort to address critical technological challenges in space exploration, fostering innovation and strategic development across the aerospace community.

Image credit: NASA