ROSES 2025: B.7 The Heliophysics Low-Cost Access to Space

The close date above is the date for the Step-2 proposal due date. The Step-1 proposal due date is November 20, 2026. Step-2 proposals cannot be submitted if a Step-1 proposal was not submitted.

NOTICE: Amended October 7, 2026. This amendment adds this new program element to ROSES-2025. Step-1 proposals are due by November 20, 2026, and Step-2 proposals are due March 16, 2027.

The page limit for the anonymized central Science-Technical-Management (S/T/M) section of proposals is 20 pages.

Proposers must provide a separately uploaded Payload Reference Document (PRD) to allow NASA to best match the research payload needs with multiple compatible flight platforms and identify the greatest suborbital research capabilities and launch flexibilities possible. See Section 1.3.1.

New: Proposals must include a “Rideshare Opportunity” section that describes the availability of resources for a rideshare instrument to be included with the flight. See Section 4.4.

New: Proposals self-identified as "science-enabling-only" must include an Application of Traceability Matrix, see 4.2.3.

New: Proposals will be submitted via a binding two-step submission process, see Section 3.

New: Proposals will be evaluated using dual anonymous peer review, so the technical proposal must be anonymized, see Section 5.1.

All proposers are strongly encouraged to use the standard SMD template for the Open Science Data Management Plan see https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/faqs/OSDMP

This synopsis is a generic summary that is posted for each of the many individual "program elements" in NASA’s Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) – 2025 solicitation. For specific information on this particular program element download and read the PDF of the text of this program element by going to Tables 2 or 3 of ROSES at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025table2

and https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025table3, respectively, click the title of the program element of interest, a hypertext link will take you to a page for that particular program element. On that page, on the right side under "Announcement Documents" the link on the bottom will be to the PDF of the text of the call for proposals. For example, if one were interested in the Solar System Science program (NNH25ZDA001N-SCUBED) one would follow the link to the NSPIRES page for that program element and then to read the text of the call one would click on “C.2 Solar System Science (.pdf)” to download the text of the call. If one wanted to set it into the context of the goals, objectives and know the default rules for all elements within Appendix C, the planetary science division, one might download and read “C.1 Planetary Science Research Program Overview (.pdf)” from that same page. While the letters and numbers are different for each element within ROSES (A.10, B.3, etc.) the basic configuration is always the same, e.g., the letter indicates the Science Division (A is Earth Science, B is Heliophysics etc.) and whatever the letter, #1 is always the division overview. In 2025, most program elements will be set up for application via Grants.gov only if requested at least 30 days in advance of the due date. For more on Grants.gov submissions see Section IV(b)v of the ROSES Summary of Solicitation, that may be found at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate (SMD) released its annual omnibus Research Announcement (NRA), Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) – 2025 (OMB Approval Number 2700-0092, CFDA Number 43.001) on February 21, 2025. In this case "omnibus" means that this NRA has many individual program elements, each with its own due dates and topics. All together these cover the wide range of basic and applied supporting research and technology supported by SMD. Awards will be made as grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts depending on the nature of the work proposed. However, most extramural research awards deriving from ROSES will be grants, and many program elements of ROSES specifically exclude contracts, because contracts would not be appropriate for the nature of the work solicited. Funded Co-Is at government labs will receive inter- or intra-agency transfers. The typical period of performance for an award is three years, but some programs may allow up to five years and others specify shorter periods. In most cases, organizations of every type, Government and private, for profit and not-for-profit, domestic and foreign (with some caveats), may submit proposals without restriction on teaming arrangements. Tables listing the program elements and due dates (Tables 2 and 3), a table that provides a very top level summary of proposal contents (Table 1), and the full text of the ROSES-2025 "Summary of Solicitation", may all be found NSPIRES at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2025.

Frequently asked questions for ROSES are posted at http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/faqs. Questions concerning specific program elements should be directed to the point(s) of contact for that particular element, who may be found either at the end of the individual program element in the summary table of key information or on the web list of topics and points of contact at: http://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/program-officers-list. General questions concerning ROSES-2025 may be directed to the office of the SMD Deputy Associate Administrator for Research at sara@nasa.gov.

Not all program elements are known at the time of the release of ROSES. To be informed of new program elements or amendments to this NRA, proposers may subscribe to: (1) The SMD mailing lists (by logging in at http://nspires.nasaprs.com and checking the appropriate boxes under "Account Management" and "Email Subscriptions"), (2) The ROSES-2025 blog feed for amendments, clarifications, and corrections to at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/solicitations/roses-2025/, and (3) The ROSES-2025 due date Google calendars (one for each science division). Instructions are at https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/library-and-useful-links (link from the words due date calendar).