Current Opportunity
Orbital Edge Accelerator Program
Orbital Edge Accelerator program
The ISSInternational Space Station National Lab is launching the Orbital Edge Accelerator program. Through the accelerator, six pioneering startups will be selected to receive an investment of up to $500,000 each—which is being provided by global investors Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), E2MC, and Stellar Ventures—along with mentorship and the opportunity to launch an ISS National Lab-sponsored investigation. By bridging the gap between early-stage companies and space-based innovation, the Orbital Edge Accelerator program aims to unlock discoveries that can benefit humanity and drive new commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit(Abbreviation: LEO) The orbit around the Earth that extends up to an altitude of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) from Earth’s surface. The International Space Station’s orbit is in LEO, at an altitude of approximately 250 miles..
To learn more about the program, visit the Orbital Edge Accelerator webpage.
Solicitation #: RFP 2025-7
NLRAThe abbreviation for an ISS National Lab Research Announcement. NLRAs are one of the ISS National Lab’s primary mechanisms to solicit proposals in specific research areas. Open Period:
4/2/2025 – 9/9/2025
Strategic Focus:
Technology Development
Research Area:
N/A
Steps to Applying for This Research Opportunity
APPLICANT RESOURCES
View Applicant Resources for ISS National Lab Research Opportunities
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Step 2.1: Download Step 2 Instructions and Required Forms (Invitation Only)
Step 2.2: If you were invited to submit a Step 2: Full Proposal, you can access the online proposal submission form by pressing the “Click to Submit Full Proposal” button below. Please follow the directions on that page.
Thank you for your interest in conducting research leveraging the ISS National Lab! For questions regarding this research announcement, please contact info@ISSNationalLab.org and reference Orbital Edge in the subject line.