Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) Awards
Exoplanet technology research is funded through the Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) component of NASA ROSES - information can be found on the NASA NSPIRES website. Prior to the 2018 SAT solicitation, a sub-component of SAT was called Technology Development for Exoplanet Missions (TDEM). Beginning with the 2018 solicitation, there is a single SAT program but exoplanet technology development SAT awards are managed by the ExEP as before. Awards from solicitations from 2009 through 2017 are listed below, including links to the abstracts of the original proposals, to Milestone Whitepapers, and Final Reports, where available.
Please refer here for information on ExEP Resources Available to Proposers to SAT, including access to the High Contrast Imaging Testbed laboratory for coronagraph demonstrations.
Download templates: Whitepaper | Final Report
Download milestone process: Milestone Process
| Year | PI | Institution | Proposal Title |
| CORONAGRAPH STARLIGHT SUPPRESSION DEMONSTRATIONS | |||
| 2009 | John Trauger | JPL/Caltech | Advanced Hybrid Lyot Coronagraph Technology for Exoplanet Missions Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2009 | Olivier Guyon | Univ. of Arizona | Phase-Induced Amplitude Apodization Coronagraphy Development and Laboratory Validation Abstract | Whitepaper #1 | Final Report #1 | Whitepaper #2 | Final Report #2 |
| 2009 | Mark Clampin | NASA GSFC | Visible Nulling Coronagraph Technology Maturation: High Contrast Imaging and Characterization of Exoplanets Abstract | Final Report |
| 2010 | Eugene Serabyn | JPL/Caltech | Demonstrations of Deep Starlight Rejection with a Vortex Coronagraph Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Olivier Guyon | Univ. of Arizona | Advances in Pupil Remapping (PIAA) coronagraphy: improving Bandwidth, Throughput and Inner Working Angle Abstract | Final Report #3 |
| 2010 | Rick Lyon | NASA GSFC | Compact Achromatic Visible Nulling Coronagraph Technology Maturation Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Jagmit Sandhu | JPL/Caltech | Visible Nulling Coronagraph (VNC) Technology Demonstration Program Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 ** | Glenn Schneider | Univ. of Arizona | EXCEDE PIAA Coronagraph Contrast Demonstration Whitepaper #1 | Final Report #1 | Whitepaper #2 | Final Report #2 |
| 2013 | Brian Hicks | NASA GSFC | Nulling of an Actively-Controlled Segmented Aperture Telescope Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2014 | Eugene Serabyn | JPL/Caltech | Broadband Light Rejection with the Optical Vortex Coronagraph Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2016 | John Trauger | JPL | Super Lyot ExoEarth Coronagraph Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2016 | Ruslan Belikov | NASA ARC | Laboratory Demonstration of High Contrast Using PIAACMC on a Segmented Aperture Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2016 | Ruslan Belikov* | NASA ARC | Development of a Method for Exoplanet Imaging in Multi-Star Systems Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2017 | Remi Soummer | STScI | First System-level Demonstration of High-Contrast for Future Segmented Space Telescopes Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2017 | Eugene Serabyn | JPL | Vortex Coronagraph High Contrast Demonstrations Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2018 | Ruslan Belikov* | NASA ARC | Laboratory Demonstration of Multi-Star Wavefront Control in Vacuum Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2018 | Dimitri Mawet | California Institute of Technology | Optimal Spectrograph and Wavefront Control Architectures for High-contrast Exoplanet Characterization Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2021 | Kent Wallace | JPL | Dual-purpose coronagraph masks for enabling high-contrast imaging with an IR/O/UV flagship mission Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2022 | AJ Riggs | JPL/Caltech | Laboratory Demonstrations of High Contrast with Black Silicon Masks Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2023 | Eugene Serabyn | JPL/Caltech | Optical Vortex Phase Mask Development and Testing Abstract |
| 2023 | Kyle Van Gorkom | University of Arizona | Technology development in UV coronagraphy to enable characterization of Earth-like exoplanets Abstract | Milestone Whitepaper |
| 2023 | Laurent Pueyo | Space Telescope Science Institute | Laboratory Demonstration of High Contrast Using PAPLC with High-Order Wavefront Sensor Abstract |
| STARSHADE TECHNOLOGY | |||
| 2009 | Jeremy Kasdin | Princeton University | Starshades for Exoplanet Imaging and Characterization: Key Technology Development Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Jeremy Kasdin | Princeton University | Verifying Deployment Tolerances of an External Occulter for Starlight Suppression Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2012 | Suzanne Casement | Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems | Starshade Stray Light Mitigation through Edge Scatter Modeling and Sharp-Edge Materials Development Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2012 | Tiffany Glassman | Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems | Demonstration of Starshade Starlight-Suppression Performance in the Field Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2012 | Jeremy Kasdin *** | Princeton University | Optical and Mechanical Verification of an External Occulter for Starlight Suppression Abstract | Whitepaper #1 | Re-programmed to the Starshade Technology Activity (S5) |
| 2013 | Jeremy Kasdin *** | Princeton University | Formation Flying for External Occulters Abstract | Final Report |
| 2013 | Webster Cash | University Of Colorado, Boulder | Development of Formation Flying Sensors Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2014 | Mark Thomson *** | NASA JPL | Optical Shield for the Starshade Inner Disc Subsystem Abstract | Re-programmed to the Starshade Technology Activity (S5) |
| 2022 | Manan Arya | Stanford University | Starshade Petal Fabrication and Accuracy Demonstration at Full-Scale for IROUV Great Observatory Abstract |
| WAVEFRONT SENSING & CONTROL OF SCATTERED STARLIGHT | |||
| 2009 | Martin Noecker | Ball Aerospace | Advanced Speckle Sensing for Internal Coronagraphs and Methods of Isolating Exoplanets from Speckles Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Jeremy Kasdin | Princeton University | Integrated Coronagraph Design and Wavefront Control using Two Deformable Mirrors Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Paul Bierden | Boston Micromachines Inc. | MEMS Deformable Mirror Technology Development for Space-Based Exoplanet Detection Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2010 | Michael Helmbrecht | Iris AO | Environmental Testing of MEMS Deformable Mirrors for Exoplanet Detection Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2017 | Olivier Guyon | University of Arizona | Linear Wavefront Control for High Contrast Imaging Abstract | Milestone Whitepaper #1 | Final Report #1 | Milestone #2/#3 Whitepaper | Final Report #2 | Final Report #3 |
| 2021 | Kerri Cahoy | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Adaptive High-order Wavefront Control Algorithms for High-contrast Imaging on the Decadal Survey Testbed Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2022 | Olivier Guyon | University of Arizona | Robust Deep Contrast Imaging with Self-Calibrating Coronagraph Systems Abstract |
| 2022 | Jonathan Tesch | JPL/Caltech | Demonstration of Advanced Wavefront Control for Segmented Aperture Telescopes Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2022 | John Trauger | JPL/Caltech | A Low-order Hardware Implementation for Sensing and Control in Exoplanet Imaging Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2023 | Timothy Cook | University Of Massachusetts, Lowell | A Novel Asynchronous Integrating Latching (NAIL) controller for MEMS deformable mirrors Abstract |
| CORONAGRAPH MODELING AND MODEL VALIDATION | |||
| 2009 | John Krist | JPL/Caltech | Assessing the Performance Limits of Internal Coronagraphs Through End-to-End Modeling Abstract | Whitepaper #1 | Final Report #1 | Whitepaper #2 | Final Report #2 Readme | Milestone Report #1 Simulation Code (1.1 GB) | Final Report Simulation Code (1.3 GB) |
| 2010 | Stuart Shaklan | JPL/Caltech | Coronagraph Starlight Suppression Model Validation: Coronagraph Milestone Report #3A Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2015 | Jim Breckinridge | University of Arizona | Threshold raw retrieved contrast in coronagraphs is limited by internal polarization Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| EXTREME PRECISION RADIAL VELOCITY | |||
| 2018 | Stephanie Leifer | JPL/Caltech | A Novel Optical Etalon for Precision Radial Velocity Measurements Abstract | Whitepaper |
| OTHER TECHNOLOGIES | |||
| 2009 | Donald Figer | Rochester Inst. Tech. | A Photon-Counting Detector for Exoplanet Missions Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2013 | Eduardo Bendek | NASA ARC | Enhanced direct Imaging exoplanet detection with astrometric mass determination Abstract | Whitepaper | Final Report |
| 2017 | Bernard Rauscher* | NASA GSFC | Radiation Tolerant, Photon Counting, Visible and Near-IR Detectors for Space Coronagraphs and Starshades Whitepaper |
| 2018 | Johannes Staguhn | Johns Hopkins University / NASA GSFC | Development of an Ultra-Stable Mid-Infrared Detector Array for Space-Based Exoplanet Transit Spectroscopy Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2022 | Colleen Marrese-Reading | JPL/Caltech | Colloid Thruster Life Testing and Modeling Abstract | Whitepaper |
| 2023 | Felipe Guzman | University Of Arizona | Thermo-Optical Metrology for Exoplanet observatories Abstract |
| 2023 | Johannes Staguhn | Johns Hopkins University | Demonstration of an HgCdTe Detector-Based Ultra-Stable Mid- Infrared Spectrometer for Transit Spectroscopy and Phase Curve Observations of Habitable Planets Around M-Stars Abstract |
* Funded by directed work package from NASA HQ (not SAT)
** Funded by the NASA Explorer program (not SAT) with a Category 3 award from NASA HQ (contract NNX12AH39G)
*** Re-programmed to the Starshade Technology Activity (S5).
NASA Astrophysics Strategic Technology Portfolio
Searchable NASA APD technology investment database
