WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Small Business Administration and NASA have entered into a partnership aimed at directing private investment toward small businesses developing technologies deemed critical to the nation’s space program and industrial base.
Under a memorandum of agreement, NASA’s Office of Strategic Capital and the SBA’s Office of Investment and Innovation will coordinate efforts to align federal space priorities with the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company program.
The agreement seeks to increase capital flows to companies supporting strategic technologies and supply chains as the United States works to maintain its competitive position in the global space sector.
“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,” SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler said in a statement.
Under the arrangement, NASA will identify priority technologies and supply chain gaps, while the SBA will license and oversee participating investment funds that commit at least 60% of their capital to NASA-designated sectors.
The targeted areas include energy production and storage, nuclear power and propulsion, advanced software and communications systems, specialized materials and components, infrastructure for inhospitable environments, launch infrastructure, and biomedical and life-support technologies.
“NASA needs a stronger industrial base capable of moving at the speed this new space race demands,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement.
He said the partnership is intended to help small businesses secure the capital needed to scale operations, strengthen domestic supply chains and support the next generation of space exploration.
The initiative reflects a broader federal strategy of using private investment to bolster industries considered strategically important to national security and technological leadership.
NASA’s investment priorities will be reviewed and updated as mission requirements evolve, allowing capital to be directed toward technologies deemed essential to maintaining a resilient domestic space industrial base.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.