NASA introduces Competition Model 2.0 to accelerate science mission selection

NASA has announced the Competition Model 2.0 (CM 2.0), a revised framework designed to streamline the selection of science missions and improve cost and schedule predictability. Under the direction of Administrator Jared Isaacman, the new policy aims to reduce the selection timeline for Astro-Probes, New Frontiers, and Discovery mission classes by up to 45 percent, cutting the process from approximately 35 months to 19.5 months.

The new two-step process prioritizes scientific proposals before requiring extensive engineering and cost documentation. In the first step, applicants must provide a science case, an implementation plan, and a preliminary mission design, which reduces the required material by roughly half. The second step involves implementation studies conducted with the Goddard Space Flight Center or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to evaluate scientific and mission merit while identifying risks earlier in the development cycle.

Smaller mission categories will move to a single-step competition, with an expected selection period of about 19 months. NASA intends for these reforms to provide a more equitable opportunity for principal investigators without major commercial or university backing to compete based on scientific merit. Flagship mission management remains unchanged.