WASHINGTON - NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate is inviting proposals for CubeSat-class secondary payloads to fly on future Space Launch System (SLS) missions supporting the Artemis campaign, including Artemis III and subsequent flights.
The solicitation seeks 6U and 12U CubeSat payloads that would be deployed after separation of the Orion spacecraft from the SLS upper stage in Earth orbit, with additional potential trajectories including highly elliptical Earth orbit and heliocentric disposal or transfer orbits, depending on mission design.
NASA said the opportunities are offered on a cooperative, no-exchange-of-funds basis and are intended to support science, technology demonstration, and exploration objectives within the Artemis architecture. Selection of payloads will be based on technical feasibility, hardware maturity, and overall mission integration readiness.
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Secondary payloads
On SLS missions, secondary payloads are carried in dispensers integrated into the Orion Stage Adapter, which interfaces between the SLS upper stage and the Orion spacecraft. The dispensers deploy CubeSats using spring-ejection mechanisms controlled by dedicated secondary payload deployment avionics following Orion separation.
NASA provides flight-qualified dispensers, engineering development units for fit checks when available, separation connectors and associated mounting hardware, and pre-screened battery cells from NASA’s strategic reserve upon request. Payloads must comply with SLS secondary payload integration and safety requirements due to their accommodation on crewed missions.
Requirements include strict power and safety constraints prior to deployment. Payloads must remain powered off prior to launch, with limited exceptions for standby current draw, and must be inhibited through multiple independent separation switches. Following deployment, power-up sequencing is constrained to prevent interaction with deployment systems during separation.
RF concerns
NASA also requires that CubeSat developers demonstrate electromagnetic compatibility to ensure that payload radio-frequency systems do not interfere with SLS, Orion, ground systems, or other secondary payloads.
Structural and dynamic requirements are imposed to ensure compatibility with launch vehicle environments. Developers must verify that spacecraft natural frequencies exceed specified minimum thresholds in all axes to avoid coupling with SLS dynamic loads, with compliance assessed at the dispenser interface.
Secondary payload integration follows a defined process that includes requirements onboarding, safety and mission assurance reviews, environmental testing and verification, flight unit delivery and processing, and final integration ahead of launch.
NASA said it is also encouraging early engagement from developers for future Artemis missions beyond the initial set of CubeSat opportunities, with the goal of establishing a pipeline of flight-ready payloads aligned with evolving exploration architectures.
NASA says responses are needed by 1 June 2026, and named Dana Justice as the primary point of contact for this solicitation. They can be reached via email at [email protected]. More information is available at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/29c36fb310f049e58cdb5a4c5c0b58b4/view.
