Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System — Department of Defense funding opportunity
Department of Defense · Federal agency

Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System

Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System Funding Agency DOW DARPA Year: 2026 Topic Number: DPA26TZ06-DV005 Solicitation Number: 26.TZ Tagged as:...

63
match
Deadline 4 days ago Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Closed posted Sep 23, 2026
✦ AI Summary
  • Who can apply: small business, research institution, university.
  • Next deadline: October 21, 2026.
  • Issued by: Department of Defense.
How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Who can apply — at a glance

  • Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
  • Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
  • Award: amount not specified by the source.
  • Matching funds: not required.
  • Deadline type: Fixed.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

Department of Defense is a federal-level funder.

See all 1 open program from this agency →

Deadline
4 days ago
Oct 21, 2026

About this opportunity

Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System Funding Agency DOW DARPA Year: 2026 Topic Number: DPA26TZ06-DV005 Solicitation Number: 26.TZ Tagged as: STTR BOTH Solicitation Status: Open NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which will take you directly to the appropriate agency server where you can read the official version of this solicitation and download the appropriate forms and rules. View Official Solicitation Release Schedule Release Date September 2, 2026 Open Date September 23, 2026 Due Date(s) October 21, 2026 Close Date October 21, 2026 Description Spacecraft electric propulsion (EP) systems typically rely on noble gas fuels (xenon, krypton, argon) stored in high pressure tanks. These fuels are unattractive for sustained ambient-air operation in very Low Earth Orbit (vLEO), or for liquid refueling operations in higher orbits using water or chemical rocket fuels as output propellants. Furthermore, thruster development to date has been highly specific to individual fuels, requiring costly development of entirely new systems for new propellants—for example, optimizing for air in a vLEO environment versus water in a possible future higher orbit refueling architecture. These dependencies limit total propulsive capability and overall mission flexibility and responsiveness. This topic seeks a system able to operate on air (20-50% O2, balance N2), water (H2O), mixtures of water and carbon dioxide (CO2) derived from combusted hydrocarbons, or nitrogen-hydrogen mixtures derived from decomposed NH3 (ammonia) or N2H4 (hydrazine), using as much shared componentry as possible. Developing a flexible fuel EP system capable of accepting a variety of molecular propellants offers a unique capability for a single product line to serve a significantly larger mission space and total addressable market. This STTR topic seeks to develop a complete, integrated fuel-flexible propulsion system that bridges the gap between laboratory demonstration and fieldable spacecraft technology capable of utilizing in-situ resources.

Funding agency

Department of Defense
Federal agency

Tags

Want help applying?

Our specialists will check your eligibility, prepare the application, and walk you through every step — for free. Create a free account →

Who can apply

Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) eligibility: applicant must be a small business concern (<= 500 employees) partnered with a non-profit research institution (university or federally-funded R&D center). Small business performs at least 40% of the work; research institution performs at least 30%. | eligibility Apply Find Topics and Solicitations Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Lab to Market Hub Program Tutorials Community Stay connected with our innovation ecosystem Community Event Spotlight News and Events Newsletter Sign-up Federal and State Technology (FAST) Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) Topic Funding Opportunities Back to Funding Opportunities Search Fuel-Flexible Spacecraft Electric Propulsion System Funding Agency DOW DARPA Year: 2026 Topic Number: DPA26TZ06-DV005 Solicitation Number: 26.TZ Tagged as: STTR BOTH Solicitation Status: Open NOTE: The Solicitations and topics listed on this site are copies from the various SBIR agency solicitations and are not necessarily the latest and most up-to-date. For this reason, you should use the agency link listed below which

Geographic eligibility

  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming
  • District of Columbia

How to apply

We don't have application instructions on file yet — head straight to the official source.

Apply on agency site
Tip from our team:

Read the agency's eligibility checklist before you start — it's almost always shorter than the full NOFO and will tell you in 90 seconds whether to keep going.

Need help getting in touch with the right agency contact?

Create a free account and our specialists will guide you through the application end-to-end.

Source documents

View on agency site
Canonical NOFO, application packet, and forms
No supplemental documents yet.

Direct downloads (NOFO PDFs, application forms, FAQs) will appear here once our team attaches them. For now, the agency site has the canonical packet.

Citation details

Source systemsbir-gov-sttr
Source IDDPA26TZ06-DV005-13001
PostedSep 23, 2026

Frequently asked questions

No FAQs yet.

Have a question about this fund? Sign in to open a ticket about this fund.