In every vibrant technology company, the efforts of talented engineers and technicians are divided between two equally important areas: research and development (R&D) and operations. Both areas require ingenuity, attention to detail, and perseverance to deliver their respective outputs. Operations teams deliver the current products and services of the firm, while R&D delivers the innovations that enable the next generation of products and services. When sustainably resourced and balanced, these two departments form an innovation engine that provides consistently useful, commercially relevant and cutting-edge solutions.
Well-run government organizations function in the same manner: operational mission directorates focus on solving problems for and delivering on current programs while R&D mission directorates take a broad based approach to bridging technology gaps that enable future needs to be met and more ambitious programs to be achieved.
Sustainably funded and dedicated R&D groups are essential elements of the innovation engineers that enable both commercial and government technology organizations to provide solutions now and in the future. Especially when it comes to NASA, a robust R&D group focused on the whole of NASA’s mission rather than short-term operational needs is critical to enabling the United States to achieve its long-term space exploration ambitions and critical to preserving America’s competitive edge in space.
Technology companies struggle when there is an imbalance in this innovation engine, whether through poor communication between R&D and operations or under-resourcing. Two circumstances regularly cause these engines to choke and die: zeroing out the resources of either department, or absorbing R&D into operations. The latter is particularly fatal to innovation because although it initially appears innocuous, resources that were originally dedicated to exploratory research inevitably get redirected to solving immediate problems in product and service delivery. Cost overruns, schedule pressures and the need for short-term results crowd out long-term technology development, consuming the seed corn meant for future products, services and programs.
Government agencies fall prey to this same trap. The combination of strategic research and development teams with programmatically focused teams tends to result in R&D budgets being redirected to paying the bills for cost overruns on programs which may or may not get cancelled in the future. Subsequently, there are fewer innovations available to tackle current or emerging programs in more cost effective and technologically sound ways, further stymieing progress and wasting taxpayer dollars.
NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) serves as the R&D division of the agency’s innovation engine, working in balance with operations divisions like Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) and Space Operations Mission Directorate, which, among other things, are charged respectively with completing and operating NASA’s current lunar and Moon-to-Mars ambitions. By maintaining an independent, crosscutting technology development organization, NASA ensures that resources are consistently available for new technologies to be explored, tested and matured for future missions rather than being prematurely funneled into operational projects, robbing the future to pay for the current programmatic miscalculations. Recent calls to absorb STMD into ESDMD undermine the fundamental role of independent R&D in sustaining long-term technological progress.
STMD supports potential breakthrough solutions to unknown and emerging problems that could redefine what is possible in space. An independent STMD enables:
- Room to vet and try new technologies before they are incorporated into operational programs,
- greater innovation potential through risk-taking and experimentation, and
- the ability to plan for the future and ensure that NASA stays ahead of industry needs and mission challenges, ultimately ensuring continued American leadership in space.
These principles are not hypothetical; they have delivered tangible benefits across a range of NASA programs and the broader space industry. STMD has been instrumental in supporting pioneering technologies such as:
- Deep Space Optical Communications, enabling higher-bandwidth data transmission from deep space,
- MOXIE on Mars, demonstrating the production of oxygen from Martian carbon dioxide, a critical capability for future human exploration,
- the Flight Opportunities Program, facilitating rapid technology testing in relevant environments, and
- in-space propellant transfer where strides are being made by SpaceX via public-private partnership under an STMD Tipping Point award
The DoD has long recognized the value of an independent technology development structure. Agencies like DARPA have been wildly successful precisely because they operate separately from the services that field the technology, allowing them to take risks, iterate quickly and create transformational breakthroughs without the immediate pressures of existing program requirements.
Sustained investment in space technology today ensures that the innovation engine of space continues to operate efficiently and we are well-equipped for the challenges of tomorrow. STMD’s cross-cutting innovations benefit both NASA and the commercial space sector, fostering the development of new capabilities that extend well beyond space exploration. Eliminating this independent R&D function would be a short-sighted decision that undermines the long-term health of NASA’s innovation pipeline and, ultimately, U.S. leadership in space exploration.
If we want to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, we must preserve the innovation engine that drives NASA forward. That means keeping STMD separate, well-resourced and empowered to develop the technologies that will shape the future of space exploration.
Andrew Rush is a serial space technology entrepreneur who previously served as President & COO of Redwire, CEO of Made In Space and is currently the CEO and Cofounder of Star Catcher.
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