NASA Launches Third Phase of Crowdsourcing Contract

Speedy Summary

• NASA Collaboration: NASA launches its third iteration of the NASA Open Innovation Service (NOIS3) contracts,managed by Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
• Objective: Engage the public in solving complex space exploration challenges using crowdsourcing tools like prize competitions, freelance tasking, and technology searches.
• Contract Value and duration: The NOIS3 contract is worth $475 million over 10 years. It includes guaranteed minimum obligations for each awardee and spans from June 5,2025,through May 31,2035 (if all options are exercised).
• Contract Management: Overseen by NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI), providing guidance and execution support for open innovation initiatives.
• Awardees List: A total of 25 companies across multiple countries have been selected as awardees under this contract. They range from Blue Clarity in Virginia to Freelancer International in Australia.

Link to learn more about CoECI: https://www.nasa.gov/coeci

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Indian Opinion Analysis

NASA’s continued emphasis on global collaboration through crowdsourcing reflects an innovative approach to solving intricate space exploration challenges.With notable funding invested into NOIS3 ($475 million), this initiative demonstrates how institutional reliance on public ingenuity can complement conventional R&D methods across various industries.

For India specifically, this development is noteworthy as it underscores a model that ISRO or other Indian agencies could adopt in areas like resource-efficient space missions or satellite innovations. Crowdsourcing allows non-conventional contributors-such as students or tech startups-to bring their unique expertise into high-stakes problem-solving environments.

As global interest accelerates toward democratising space solutions via public competitions and open methodologies, India’s participation-or even partnership-with such frameworks could bolster its technological footprint while fostering collaboration with international peers already involved under programs like NOIS3.

Read More at NASA news Release