NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA's Centennial Challenges are prize competitions for technological achievements by independent teams who work without government funding. The challenges are extended to individuals, groups and companies working outside the traditional aerospace industry. Unlike most contracts or grants, awards only are made after solutions are successfully demonstrated.

Centennial Challenge events typically include media and public audiences, and are televised or broadcast live over the Internet. NASA's agency website also covers the competitions. The competitions provide high-visibility opportunities to partner organizations and sponsors for public outreach.

NASA is seeking partner organizations to manage the agency's upcoming Night Rover and Nano-Satellite Launcher Centennial Challenges.

Proposers are invited to respond to these opportunities by submitting proposals to NASA by April 26, 2011 for Night Rover and by May 6, 2011 for Nano-Satellite Launcher.

NASA will choose U.S. non-profit Allied Organizations from proposals in response to agency Opportunity Notices available at:
Night Rover: http://go.usa.gov/40P
Nano-Satellite Launcher: http://go.usa.gov/49N

NASA anticipates entering into an unfunded Space Act Agreement with the selected Allied Organizations.

Opportunity Overview

The Allied Organizations will be responsible for planning the challenges, including recruitment of sponsors and teams, publicity and administration of the actual contests. Once allied partners are chosen, NASA and the allied organizations will announce challenge rules and details on how teams may enter.

Teams competing in the Night Rover Challenge will need to demonstrate a solar-powered exploration vehicle that can operate in darkness, using its own stored energy. NASA is offering a prize purse of $1.5 million for the rover challenge. The Nano-Satellite Launcher Challenge is to place a small satellite into Earth orbit, twice in one week, with a prize purse of $2 million.

The objective of the Night Rover Challenge is to stimulate innovations in energy storage technologies of value in extreme space environments, such as the surface of the moon, or for electric vehicles and renewable energy systems here on Earth. Currently, the solar-powered Mars rovers "go to sleep" during the Martian night. NASA hopes the Night Rover Challenge will generate new ideas that will allow planetary rovers the ability to take on a night shift, and possibly create new energy storage technologies for applications right here on our home planet.

The Nano-Satellite Launcher Challenge goal is to stimulate innovations in low-cost launch technology for frequent access to Earth orbit while encouraging creation of commercial nano-satellite delivery services. Decreasing the cost of reliably sending small payloads to Earth orbit in a timely manner could create entire new markets for American businesses and provide opportunities for students and researchers to harness the environment of space for technology development and innovative problem solving.

Allied organizations generally seek sponsorships of all monetary sizes and in-kind contributions while providing public recognition to competition sponsors. Arrangements for competition sponsorships will be negotiated directly between the allied organizations and the sponsors and may include competition naming rights for significant contributors. NASA is looking for parties interested in sponsoring the non-profit allied organizations that manage the prize competitions.

Potential sponsors can be for-profit companies and corporations, universities and other non-profit or educational organizations, professional or public organizations, and individuals. Those interested in discussing sponsorship opportunities should respond to the Sponsor Opportunity Notice at: http://go.usa.gov/459

Eligibility

Domestic non-profit organizations are eligible to submit proposals to be Allied Organizations. Allied Organizations cannot compete in the Challenge that they manage. Allied Organizations and their officers and employees may not have a financial or other interest in any teams that compete in any Challenge(s) they manage.

Multiple organizations may form a team to manage the Challenge and may submit a joint proposal.

Obtain additional programmatic information from:
Dr. Larry Cooper, NASA HQ
Email: Larry.P.Cooper@nasa.gov