ROSES 2025: C.2 Solar System Science

The NASA Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2025 program has introduced a new program element titled "C.2 Solar System Science." This grant opportunity falls under the Planetary Science Division (PSD) and is designed to support a broad range of scientific research and analysis related to the content, origin, and evolution of the Solar System, as well as the search for life beyond Earth. It consolidates topics previously covered in separate solicitations, including Emerging Worlds, Planetary Protection Research, Solar System Workings, and others. The program promotes flexible submission due dates and employs a dual-anonymous peer review process to enhance proposal fairness and reduce bias. The primary purpose of this grant is to fund hypothesis-driven research, analytical tool development, planetary data analysis, data preservation, and the creation of software tools. The scope includes both traditional scientific investigations and proposals for innovative instrumentation and methodology that can significantly advance current measurement standards or enable new types of measurements. The grant strongly encourages interdisciplinary and convergence science proposals that cut across domains to tackle complex planetary science questions. Proposals must clearly articulate their alignment with specific PSD priorities derived from the Planetary Science Decadal Survey and NASA’s Science Strategy. These include lunar science, Mars science, astrobiology, and planetary protection. Funding for this opportunity is expected to be approximately $10 million in its first year, supporting between 40 to 55 new awards. Award sizes vary and are categorized as small (less than $150,000/year), medium ($150,000–$250,000/year), and large (greater than $250,000/year), with most grants expected to fall in the small to medium range. The maximum award duration is four years, though shorter-term pilot studies of one to two years are also encouraged. Matching funds are not required. Proposals that fall outside the defined priorities or are more suited to other NASA programs will be declined without review. The submission process is structured in two phases. Initially, applicants must submit a five-page anonymized technical proposal, also known as the Science/Technical/Management (S/T/M) section, through NSPIRES. This portion includes research goals, scientific rationale, methodology, personnel effort, and alignment with PSD priorities. After peer review, only proposals rated “selectable” will move to the second phase, where applicants will be invited to submit a non-anonymized Expertise and Resources (E&R) document. This includes the Open Science and Data Management Plan, biographical sketches, current and pending support, total budget, and justification. Applicants may submit proposals any time until March 31, 2026, with reviews occurring several times a year. Submission and review periods are outlined in Table C.2-1. For example, proposals submitted by September 30, 2025, will be reviewed in Winter 2025 with awards expected by April 2026. The program is open on a rolling basis and will recur, with the next anticipated cycle starting in April 2026. No Notices of Intent or Step-1 proposals are required. All applications must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES, and additional support is available via NSPIRES help or the program’s designated email contact. For inquiries, interested parties can contact Katharine Robinson, Curtis Williams, or Rebekah Dawson-Rigas via email at hq-scubed@mail.nasa.gov. The opportunity is listed under the funding opportunity number NNH25ZDA001N-SCUBED and is relevant to all U.S.-based planetary science researchers.

Proposers are encouraged to consult Section C.1 of the ROSES solicitation for compliance and follow anonymization rules to avoid return without review. Proposals must clearly identify how the proposed work supports PSD priorities.