SBA, NASA Sign Memorandum of Agreement to Strengthen Investment in America’s Space Exploration Supply Chain

WASHINGTON - Yesterday, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) establishing a strategic partnership to strengthen America's commercial supply chain by expanding private investment in innovative small businesses.

"To meet President Trump's objective of securing American leadership on every frontier, the SBA and NASA are partnering to supercharge the industrial base behind our space program and connect the innovators building critical technologies with needed capital," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "Through this partnership with NASA, the SBA is mobilizing private sector investment to fuel the small businesses, manufacturers, and innovators that are driving American space dominance. By aligning capital with strategic national priorities, this exciting effort will help launch the next great era of space exploration."

"To achieve President Trump's National Space Policy, NASA needs a stronger industrial base capable of moving at the speed this new space race demands," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. "Through the NASA Office of Strategic Capital, this partnership with the SBA will help small businesses access the capital they need to scale, strengthen critical supply chains, rebuild America's industrial might, and deliver the outcomes necessary to ensure the United States leads the next era of space exploration."

Through the MOA, NASA's Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) and the SBA's Office of Investment and Innovation (OII) will work together to align NASA's strategic technology priorities with the SBA's Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program. NASA will identify critical technology and supply chain needs, while the SBA will license and oversee participating SBIC investment funds that commit to investing at least 60% of their capital into NASA-identified focus areas, including:

• Energy production, infrastructure, and storage
• Nuclear power and propulsion
• Advanced software, avionics, and communications systems
• Specialized materials and components
• Inhospitable environment infrastructure
• Scaled launch infrastructure
• Biomedical and life support technology

The initiative focuses on the foundational technologies and industrial capabilities that support NASA's mission priorities and advances President Donald J. Trump's National Space Policy and the objectives established on Ignition Day. NASA priorities will be reviewed and updated regularly as mission requirements evolve, helping direct investment toward technologies most essential to maintaining a resilient, domestic space industrial base.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of entrepreneurship. As the leading voice for small businesses within the federal government, the SBA empowers job creators with the resources and support they need to start, grow, and expand their businesses or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit https://www.sba.gov.