NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
The NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program provides U.S. college and university students with hands-on microgravity research experience aboard parabolic-flight aircraft, operating under NASA's Office of STEM Engagement as a free, congressionally funded STEM workforce development initiative.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1958
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program does
The NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is a U.S. federal government STEM engagement initiative operated under NASA's Office of STEM Engagement. It serves undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities, providing hands-on microgravity research experience aboard modified aircraft (commonly referred to as "vomit comet" flights) that execute parabolic trajectories to simulate microgravity, lunar, and Martian gravity environments. The program is administered at no cost to participants and is funded through congressional appropriations as part of NASA's broader educational outreach mandate.
The core technology underpinning the program is a fleet of specially modified aircraft capable of sustained parabolic flight profiles, generating short-duration reduced-gravity conditions suitable for student-conceived and student-built experimental payloads. Student teams design, build, and fly experiments that contribute to microgravity science while developing technical and operational skills. Outreach and participant onboarding are distributed through the NASA Learning Resources Portal and the broader NASA Internship Programs ecosystem, which function as the program's primary channels for soliciting applications, posting flight opportunities, and curating learning materials. The program is hosted within NASA's institutional framework, which was established in 1958 and is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The program's operating model is non-commercial: it is publicly funded, free to participants, and operates as an in-kind grant of flight time, technical mentorship, and access to NASA facilities. There is no revenue model, pricing structure, or monetized customer relationship in the conventional sense. Its stakeholders — student researchers, their faculty advisors, and partner institutions — receive subsidized access to a unique flight research platform in exchange for participation in NASA's STEM workforce development pipeline.
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
- Legal name
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Website
- https://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1958
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- The NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program provides U.S. college and university students with hands-on microgravity research experience aboard parabolic-flight aircraft, operating under NASA's Office of STEM Engagement as a free, congressionally funded STEM workforce development initiative.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program industry classification
Industry- Product category
- STEM Aerospace Education
- NAICS
- Space Research and Technology (92711)
- SIC
- Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Space & Astronomy Programs (EDAMABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways) (EDAMALAN)
Keywords
Where NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program provides undergraduate and graduate students from U.S. colleges, universities, and technical/vocational institutions with the opportunity to design, build, and fly hands-on research experiments in reduced-gravity environments aboard NASA modified aircraft. The program uses parabolic flight maneuvers to simulate microgravity, lunar, and Martian gravity conditions, enabling student teams to conduct microgravity research that is otherwise inaccessible to academic institutions.
Product overview
NASA's For Colleges and Universities page provides STEM resources, programs, and opportunities for higher education institutions. The page aggregates various NASA educational initiatives including research opportunities, student challenges, internship programs, and funding opportunities. However, the specific 'NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program' is not present in the source content provided.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program Hands-on reduced-gravity flight research program for undergraduate and graduate students from U.S. colleges, universities, and technical/vocational institutions. Selected student teams design, build, and fly experiments aboard NASA modified aircraft that perform parabolic maneuvers to simulate microgravity, lunar, and Martian gravity conditions. Participation is offered at no cost as part of NASA's federally funded STEM engagement portfolio.
Companies that use NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP): Program that lets K-12 and college student teams design and fly microgravity experiments — historically to the International Space Station via NanoRacks. Closely comparable to NASA Reduced Gravity in mission (student-led microgravity research), target audience (student experimenters), and use of flight research as a STEM engagement tool.
- Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G): Commercial provider of parabolic flights that simulate microgravity for both public customers and researchers. Comparable to NASA Reduced Gravity because both deliver repeat-access microgravity environments via parabolic aircraft, but ZERO-G operates as a commercial business while the NASA program is a government STEM engagement initiative.
Emerging players
- European Space Agency (ESA) Education programme: ESA's Academy and Education Office runs parabolic-flight campaigns, student experiments, and university-level hands-on opportunities across ESA member states. Comparable to NASA as a parallel national/regional space-agency STEM engagement portfolio targeting the same student personas.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program social profiles
Digital presenceNASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
What does NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program do?
The NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program provides undergraduate and graduate students from U.S. colleges, universities, and technical/vocational institutions with the opportunity to design, build, and fly hands-on research experiments in reduced-gravity environments aboard NASA modified aircraft. The program uses parabolic flight maneuvers to simulate microgravity, lunar, and Martian gravity conditions, enabling student teams to conduct microgravity research that is otherwise inaccessible to academic institutions.
Is NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program a public or private company?
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program founded?
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program was founded in 1958. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program based?
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
Who are NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP) and Zero Gravity Corporation (ZERO-G). European Space Agency (ESA) Education programme is listed as an emerging player.
Does NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program have an API?
No public API is recorded for NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program.
What industry is NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program in?
NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program's product category is STEM Aerospace Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAE, Space & Astronomy Programs, with a secondary code of EDAMALAN, College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways). Its NAICS code is 92711 and its SIC code is 3760.