2017-8-1_stip_final-508ed

NASA Strategic Technology Investment Plan
Figure 8: RS-25D engine awaits shipment to Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
Impact to NASA
NASA’s technology investments will target improved performance and reliability, reduced
manufacturing costs, and new approaches to enable a diverse set of new missions. Advances in
domestic liquid oxygen and rocket propellant engine technologies would reduce or eliminate the
Nation’s reliance on foreign suppliers for access to space. Oxygen-rich staged combustion
engines could significantly increase lift capacity and enable human missions to Mars. Advanced
propellant management extends spacecraft lifetimes and could eliminate the need for multiple
propellants and associated plumbing, significantly reducing the cost and complexity of NASA
missions. Innovations for in-space propulsion technologies also provide advantages, including
high-power extensibility using electric thrusters (Hall effect, ion, and other concepts) as well as
nuclear thermal propulsion, which could enable fast transit, deep space missions at lower
overall mission cost.
Impact to Nation and Partners
Other Government agencies have identified liquid oxygen and rocket propellant engines, inspace
propulsion, and propellant storage and transfer as high priorities for national
development. These technologies align with the Nation’s space policy that calls on NASA to
“conduct research and development in support of next-generation launch systems, including
new U.S. rocket engine technologies,” and several of these technologies are explicitly stated in
the NASA Authorization Act. Commercial organizations identified solid rocket motor systems,
liquid rocket engines, and propellant storage and transfer as having important benefits to the
space industry. In addition, in-space propulsion technologies are potential areas for partnership.
NASA’s investment in these Critical propulsion and launch system technologies will have an
expanding impact on our national goals and economic development.
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