USAFA-BAA-2021-CALL0002: Space Domain Awareness Grand Challenge – Ground-Based Spectral Signatures of Satellites
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity (FA955027S0001). Status: Closes April 2, 2027 (146 days left). It is in our archive of Air Force Academy notices from 2021.
Air Force Academy offered grants of up to $300,000 (at least $282,000) to any type of organization. It expected to make one award. Applications closed on April 22, 2021.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed March 22, 2021. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Award ceiling$300,000
- Award floor$282,000
- Expected awards1
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeCooperative Agreement
Key dates
| Posted | March 12, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Deadline | April 22, 2021 |
| Archived by Grants.gov | May 12, 2021 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to any type of organization.
- Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"
Is this a realistic fit?
- Past Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program awards averaged $943,430; this notice allows up to $300,000 per award.
- Most of the program's money (59% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT USAFA-BAA-2021 Research Interests of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) TWO-STEP CALL ANNOUNCEMENT (CALL) 0002 Revised FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: United States Air Force Academy, Department of Physics BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: Research Interests of the United States Air Force Academy BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: USAFA-BAA-2021 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: This is an initial announcement. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER: 12.800 CALL ANNOUCEMENT TITLE: Space Domain Awareness Grand Challenge – Ground-Based Spectral Signatures of Satellites CALL ANNOUNCEMENT (CALL) NUMBER: 0002 TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT: The technical point of contact for this CALL as outlined in the baseline BAA, Section I - Opportunity Description (a)(15), (Center for Space Situational Awareness Research) is: Dr. Francis Chun, Director, Center for Space Situational Awareness Research USAF Academy Department of Physics United States Air Force Academy, CO Phone: 719-333-2601 Email: francis.chun@usafa.edu CONTRACTING POINTS OF CONTACT: The contracting points of contact for this CALL are: Grants/Agreements Specialist: Christina Aguirre, 10 CONS/PKC United States Air Force Academy, CO Email: christina.aguirre@us.af.mil Grants/Agreements Officer: Erica Wilson, 10 CONS/PKC United States Air Force Academy, CO Email: erica.wilson.7@us.af.mil BACKGROUND: The Center for Space Situational Awareness Research (CSSAR) in the Department of Physics (DFP) conducts research in satellite optical signatures using ground-based telescopes on the campus of USAFA and across the world with the Falcon Telescope Network (FTN). One research area of emphasis is manmade satellite characterization via non-resolvable imaging using various optical remote sensing modalities (e.g., photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry). For this call, we are specifically looking for research in support of: 1. Calibration of the USAFA telescopes for slitless spectroscopy. 2. The application of slitless spectroscopy on manmade satellite characterization. 3. The extraction of satellite features and characteristics from spectral signatures alone and in concert with satellite photometric and polarimetric signatures using machine learning or other data analysis/fusion algorithms. The researcher is expected to complete the research on-site at the United States Air Force Academy and to incorporate cadet participation in the projects, typically one to two cadets per semester.
Who has won Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (12.800) awarded $3.7 billion across 3,902 grant awards, an average of $943,430 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem | California | 1 | $539 million |
| National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining | Pennsylvania | 2 | $309 million |
| Flextech Alliance, Inc. | California | 1 | $233 million |
| The Research Foundation for the State University of New York | New York | 3 | $128 million |
| Cornell University | New York | 52 | $74.0 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, FA955027S0001, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is USAFA-BAA-2021-CALL0002 still open?
No. It closed on April 22, 2021. A newer notice is open: FA955027S0001, closes April 2, 2027 (146 days left).
Who can apply for Space Domain Awareness Grand Challenge – Ground-Based Spectral Signatures of Satellites?
Air Force Academy accepted applications from any type of organization.
What is the deadline for Space Domain Awareness Grand Challenge – Ground-Based Spectral Signatures of Satellites?
Closed April 22, 2021. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $300,000 each.
Who has won Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem, National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, Flextech Alliance, Inc. The program made 3,902 awards worth $3.7 billion in that time.