NASA ROSES-2025 B.7 Heliophysics Low-Cost Access to Space
Research support for heliophysics instruments, technology demonstrations, and scientific investigations flown on suborbital rockets, high-altitude balloons, or airborne platforms.
NASA ROSES-2025 B.7 Heliophysics Low-Cost Access to Space
NASA’s ROSES-2025 B.7 opportunity supports heliophysics investigations and technology demonstrations that can fly on suborbital rockets, high-altitude balloons, or airborne platforms. It is designed for teams that can connect a defined science or technology objective to an instrument, a flight opportunity, and a complete plan for the resulting data. The solicitation is open, with a short first-stage proposal due in November 2026 and a second-stage deadline in March 2027 for applicants invited forward. NSPIRES opportunity page
| At a glance | Published details |
|---|---|
| Program | NASA ROSES-2025, Appendix B.7: Heliophysics Low-Cost Access to Space |
| Supported work | Instrument and technology development, plus heliophysics investigations flown on suborbital rockets, high-altitude balloons, or airborne platforms |
| First-year program budget | Projected $3 million total; one to two awards anticipated |
| Individual award amount | Not specified in the supplied call information |
| Location | United States |
| Step 1 deadline | November 20, 2026 |
| Step 2 deadline | March 16, 2027; only Step 1 invitees may submit |
| Typical period | Three years; may extend to four years with justification |
| Application route | Electronic submission in NSPIRES by an Authorized Organizational Representative |
What the opportunity funds
B.7 supports heliophysics instrument and technology development, technology demonstrations, and flight investigations using sounding rockets, high-altitude balloons, or airborne platforms. It may fit teams whose science needs measurements in those environments or whose technology is ready for a flight demonstration. NASA solicitation document
A complete investigation includes payload construction, flight, data analysis, archiving, and publication. Link the measurement plan to usable data and explain how the team will analyze, preserve, and report the results. NASA prioritizes applications relevant to society or human exploration where possible; the supplied information gives no quantified scoring rule. NASA solicitation document
The projected first-year program budget is $3 million, with one to two awards anticipated; no individual award amount is specified. Awards typically last three years and may extend to four with justification. Do not treat the program total as an award ceiling or divide it to estimate an award. Check the current solicitation for budget rules. NASA solicitation document
When NASA provides or procures the ride, a cooperative agreement may cover launch and launch-vehicle integration outside PI-managed project costs. Applicants using NASA-provided suborbital platforms need no launch quote and do not include platform costs in the project budget. Proposers arranging commercial launch service manage and pay for it. Confirm the applicable terms for the chosen platform in the solicitation. NASA solicitation document
Who should apply and eligibility considerations
The opportunity is relevant to researchers and teams with a heliophysics science question, an instrument or technology to mature, or a flight investigation that can make a defined contribution to the field. A strong fit should be explainable through the relationship among the scientific or technical objective, the payload, the flight platform, and the data products. That is practical fit advice based on the published scope; the brief does not provide a formal list of favored institutions, career stages, or disciplines beyond the B.7 scope.
As an initial fit check, describe what the payload will measure or demonstrate, why one of the listed flight environments is relevant, and what scientific or technical result the team expects to analyze. Then identify who will carry the work through archiving and publication. If that chain is difficult to explain, refine the project concept against the current B.7 scope before building the full team. This is a planning screen, not an additional NASA eligibility test.
An individual may serve as principal investigator on one B.7 proposal and the PI is expected to devote at least two months per year to the project. PIs, co-investigators, and paid team members need defined tasks that are essential to completing the project. Before including a person, identify their actual responsibility and how it contributes to construction, flight, analysis, archiving, publication, or another necessary project task. NASA solicitation document
PIs and co-investigators who spend more than 10% of their time on a proposed grant or cooperative agreement must complete research-security training. Foreign-national participation in hardware and spaceflight awards is subject to export-control approval. The supplied information does not specify the training provider, timing, approval process, or how a particular participant’s export-control status will be assessed. Teams should have their organization’s research-security and export-control offices review the current solicitation and proposed roles before finalizing the application. NASA solicitation document
How to apply
The application has two stages. An Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) submits Step 1 electronically in NSPIRES: an anonymized, three-page document with no budget. Only applicants invited after Step 1 may submit Step 2. Coordinate with the organization’s AOR early; a researcher’s saved draft is not a submission. NASA solicitation document
Have the AOR submit the anonymized three-page Step 1 in NSPIRES by November 20, 2026. Follow the current instructions for content and formatting, including how to avoid identifying the team or institution. The supplied brief does not reproduce those details. NSPIRES opportunity page
If invited, Step 2 has a 20-page limit for its central technical section, plus a separate Payload Reference Document and Rideshare Opportunity section. Science-enabling proposals also need an Application of Traceability Matrix. Check NSPIRES for exact templates, content rules, and upload fields. In particular, confirm whether the proposal is science-enabling under NASA’s instructions rather than assuming the matrix is required for every submission. NSPIRES opportunity page
For NASA-provided suborbital platforms, no launch quote or platform costs are needed in the budget. A proposer using its own commercial service is responsible for cost and management. Although Step 1 has no budget, identify the intended flight arrangement for Step 2 planning. NASA solicitation document
Timeline and deadlines
NSPIRES lists the opportunity release date as October 7, 2026. Step 1 is due November 20, 2026, and Step 2 is due March 16, 2027. The opportunity is open as of the supplied brief. Step 2 is for invitees only; submitting Step 1 does not itself establish eligibility to submit the later package. Check the NSPIRES page for the current status, submission instructions, and any posted amendments as the dates approach. NSPIRES opportunity page
The published information supplied here does not give an invitation notification date or intermediate internal review dates. Set internal deadlines with time for anonymization review and AOR submission at Step 1. If invited, work backward from March 16 to assign owners for the technical section, payload reference, rideshare section, traceability matrix when applicable, and organizational submission. These are planning suggestions, not NASA-set interim deadlines. The brief also does not state a deadline time or time zone, so confirm the live NSPIRES entry and submission system rather than assuming a local cutoff.
Preparation advice and common avoidable problems
As preparation, map the path from research question to flight measurement, analysis, archiving, and publication. Assign an owner to each stage. This can reveal missing work and help ensure every paid team member has a defined, essential task, as required by the call. NASA solicitation document
Identify the flight arrangement early: NASA-provided platforms do not require a launch quote or platform costs in the budget, while proposers arranging commercial service manage and pay for it. Confirm platform fit and conditions in the solicitation before finalizing a budget. NASA solicitation document
Keep the two stages distinct: Step 1 is three anonymized pages with no budget, submitted by an AOR; only invitees prepare Step 2 and its technical section and supporting elements. Check the live instructions so the Step 1 document does not identify the team and meets the required format. NASA solicitation document
Avoid vague team roles. The call requires essential tasks for PIs, Co-Is, and paid members; the PI is expected to devote two months annually, and PIs and Co-Is above the 10% time threshold need research-security training. List roles and effort, and take training or export-control questions to the relevant institutional office. NASA solicitation document
Do not treat the $3 million first-year program estimate as an individual award ceiling. It is a program total, and the per-award amount is unstated. Check the solicitation’s cost rules and confirm budget questions with the organization’s sponsored-programs office.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a stated maximum award amount?
No individual award amount is specified in the supplied information. The $3 million figure is the projected total first-year program budget, and one to two awards are anticipated. Verify whether the current solicitation or a later amendment provides an award-level amount or budget limit. NASA solicitation document
Can I submit a full proposal by the November deadline?
The November 20, 2026 deadline is for Step 1. Step 1 is the three-page anonymized submission with no budget. Only applicants invited after that stage may submit Step 2, which is due March 16, 2027. NSPIRES opportunity page
Do I need a launch quote for a NASA platform?
For NASA-provided suborbital platforms, applicants do not need a launch-service quote or platform costs in the budget. A proposer arranging its own commercial launch service is responsible for its cost and management. Confirm the arrangement and terms that apply to the specific proposal in the solicitation. NASA solicitation document
How long can an award run?
Awards typically last three years. The information provided says an award may extend to four years with justification; consult the solicitation for how to propose and substantiate an extension. NASA solicitation document
What details still need confirmation?
The supplied brief does not identify an individual award amount, the Step 1 invitation date, detailed evaluation criteria, precise formatting rules, or a named contact. It also does not specify the training process or the case-specific export-control approval path. Check the current NSPIRES opportunity page, solicitation document, and amendments for updated requirements; if the current NASA documents identify a program contact, use that listed channel for questions that remain unresolved. Do not rely on a third-party summary to fill in these missing details.