Just launched: a new NASA TechLeap Prize to advance orbital drag measurement for safer, more predictable satellite flight paths.

Every satellite in orbit experiences atmospheric drag, tiny amounts of air friction that slow objects down. Most satellites fly through the thermosphere, a part of low Earth orbit where drag is hard to pin down; the density that impacts drag changes constantly with the Sun’s activity and is rarely measured directly. That makes it the biggest uncertainty in predicting exactly where a spacecraft will go. The uncertainty is frustrating and expensive: Operators burn extra fuel dodging potential collisions that may not be real threats, and carry backup propellant in case their satellite falls out of orbit faster than expected. And when a solar storm thickens the atmosphere without warning, the same uncertainty can pull satellites down before anyone sees it coming.

This week, NASA launched the Orbital Clarity Challenge, the sixth in the NASA TechLeap Prize series. A collaborative effort between NASA’s Heliophysics Division, Flight Opportunities program, and Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation, the challenge seeks to advance orbital drag measurement for safer, more predictable satellite flight paths. NASA invites applicants to propose low-cost, scalable approaches that enable proliferated measurements of density, pressure, or drag in low Earth orbit. Up to four winners will each receive up to $500,000 to develop a flight-ready solution across three prize phases. In addition, NASA intends to provide an opportunity for the winning team(s) to demonstrate their solution in orbit, at no cost.

The rapid growth of commercial satellites presents an opportunity for improvement. Thousands of spacecraft already fly through the very orbits where better insight is most needed, and each one is a potential platform for collecting data. To leverage these satellites, the Orbital Clarity Challenge calls for low-cost methods of measuring thermospheric density, pressure, or drag in low Earth orbit. NASA is seeking approaches that are inexpensive and scalable enough to be produced in quantity and flown as hosted payloads industry-wide. Deployed across satellite constellations, low-cost sensors of this kind could take continuous measurements from many points at once and deliver the global, low-latency coverage that current density models lack.

The challenge, designed and produced by Luminary Labs through a contract with the NASA Tournament Lab, will unfold across three phases, advancing up to four winners’ concepts to flight-ready solutions within 12 months. At the conclusion of the challenge, NASA intends to offer the winning team(s) a test flight at no cost.

Learn more about the Orbital Clarity Challenge and register to attend a virtual information session on September 22.