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NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has outlined Competition Model 2.0, a revised process intended to shorten mission competitions and focus early reviews on science proposals. NASA says some mission classes could see selection timelines reduced by up to 45%, but the changes will be rolled out in stages and the letter does not give a calendar for implementation.
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has announced Competition Model 2.0, a revised process for proposing and selecting science missions that the agency says could shorten competition timelines and reduce the work required before a mission is chosen. NASA said it would explain the changes and answer questions at a virtual town hall on Monday, October 26; the letter does not identify the year of the event.
The model’s central change is to evaluate the science first. Early proposals would not need detailed engineering plans, cost estimates and implementation work unless those details are needed to make a decision. NASA says that would reduce the burden on research teams and allow initial reviews to focus more on the scientific case than on the resources available to a proposing team.
For mission classes using a two-step process, Step 1 would ask for a science case, science implementation plan and proof-of-concept mission design. NASA says this removes roughly half the material now required in an Announcement of Opportunity response. In Step 2, a mission implementation study would evaluate scientific merit and the science and mission implementation plans. NASA says a down-selection to one mission would occur partway through Phase A, with the selected concept continuing to complete that phase.
NASA estimates that the revised process could cut the period from an Announcement of Opportunity to Step 2 selection by up to 45% for the applicable competitions, from 35 months to about 19.5 months. The letter also describes a single-step process for another class of missions, with smaller review teams and virtual site visits, which NASA says could reduce time to final selection from about 32 months to about 19 months, or up to 40%. These are agency projections, not reported results from competitions already run under the new model.
Shorter Competitions, Earlier Science Review
If the projected reductions are achieved, research teams could spend less time and money preparing lengthy proposals and learn sooner whether their concepts will advance. NASA says the revised first step is intended to make the competition more focused on scientific merit, and to give strong ideas a fairer hearing regardless of the size of the team behind them.
The changes could also affect how mission risks are surfaced. NASA describes the implementation study as a way to examine scientific and engineering plans before a mission is selected, while the chosen team would continue maturing its design through Phase A. The agency says teams that are not selected would not have to carry their concepts through the remainder of Phase A independently. Whether the new stages deliver faster decisions without weakening review quality will depend on how NASA applies them and how the process performs in actual competitions.
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How NASA Plans to Change Competitions
NASA says the new model responds to concerns that the existing two-step competition process can take years and bring contract-management challenges, unpredictability and insufficient funding. The letter says the agency aims to accelerate science delivery, reduce the resources spent on prolonged competitions and make mission selection more predictable. Those are the goals stated by NASA; the letter does not provide independent evidence that the new approach will meet them.
The plan does not change the process for NASA’s largest missions. The agency says those flagships will continue under an approach developed after the James Webb Space Telescope and a subsequent Large Mission Study. NASA will direct a flagship to a lead NASA center, which will compete science teams and instruments through targeted solicitations.
For other mission classes, NASA describes a wider range of potential implementing organizations, including universities and industry partners. The letter says organizations would be assessed on past performance on projects of similar complexity and cost. Principal investigators could request pairing with a Goddard or Jet Propulsion Laboratory implementation team at the first selection step, and NASA says center support could be provided for procurement, contract management or technical issues.
Implementation Details Still Pending
The letter does not specify when each change will take effect, which upcoming solicitations will use the new rules, or how NASA will measure whether competitions become faster and more predictable. It also does not provide details of the October 26 town hall beyond its date and virtual format, including the year, time, registration process or participation link.
The timeline reductions are estimates made by NASA, expressed as reductions of up to 45% or 40% for specified processes. The letter does not report results from completed competitions under Competition Model 2.0. It also leaves open how review criteria, funding availability and the division of responsibility between NASA centers and outside partners will work in individual competitions.
The source text provided for the smallest-mission section ends mid-sentence after saying teams will be expected to adopt industry best practices. It does not supply the rest of that explanation, so the full requirements for those missions cannot be established from the available material.
Town Hall and Phased Rollout
NASA said it would use the October 26 virtual town hall to explain Competition Model 2.0 and answer questions from the science community. The letter does not provide a year or further event details, so readers should consult NASA Science’s announcement for any updated information.
After the town hall, NASA says it will introduce the changes in stages and refine them with community input. The next concrete signs of implementation are likely to appear in future mission solicitations and their proposal instructions, which will show which mission classes use the new steps and how NASA applies the review criteria. The agency has not provided a schedule for those releases in the letter.
Key Questions
What is NASA Competition Model 2.0?
Competition Model 2.0 is NASA Science’s proposed revised process for competing and selecting missions. It aims to put more emphasis on the science case early in the process and defer detailed implementation work until it is needed for a decision.
How much faster does NASA expect mission selection to be?
NASA estimates reductions of up to 45% for some two-step competitions, including a change from 35 months to about 19.5 months from an Announcement of Opportunity to Step 2 selection. For a single-step process, it projects a reduction from about 32 months to about 19 months, or up to 40%. These are projections, not measured results from completed competitions under the model.
Will the new process apply to NASA’s largest missions?
No. NASA says its largest flagship missions will continue under the approach developed after the James Webb Space Telescope and the Large Mission Study. The revised competitions are described for other mission classes.
When will Competition Model 2.0 begin?
NASA says it will roll out the changes in stages, but its letter does not give an implementation schedule or identify which upcoming solicitations will use the model. The agency said the October 26 virtual town hall would explain the changes and take questions, but the letter does not specify the year.
Source: primary
