NASA says it is changing how it competes for and selects science missions in an effort to deliver scientific results faster.
In a letter to the science community, Nicola Fox of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said the agency will explain its new Competition Model 2.0 during a virtual NASA Science Town Hall from NASA Headquarters on Monday, Oct. 26.
The agency said its current two-step process has taken years for mission concepts to move through and has created contract-management challenges, unpredictability and insufficient funding. NASA said the updated approach is intended to reduce the time and resources spent on lengthy competitive processes while directing funding toward high-priority missions across its science divisions.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman directed the Science Mission Directorate to accelerate science delivery and improve the efficiency and predictability of mission selection, according to the letter. The Oct. 26 town hall is expected to provide details on the revised model and answer questions from the science community.
