Support the x-57 project office on management of standards development. The objective of this statement of work is to provide the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) x-57 project…

This is a cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center to the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIA), a non-profit research institute, to provide support to the X-57 project office on managing standards development related to certification and regulations for electric propulsion systems.

The $562,043 contract requires NIA to assist the X-57 project with technology transfer and regulatory compliance for integrating advanced electric propulsion into general aviation aircraft. This includes analyzing certification requirements under Parts 23, 33, and 35 of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, and supporting the work of ASTM committees developing standards for electric aircraft systems. The contract does not have a set-aside designation. NIA has subcontracted a portion of the work to HS Advanced Concepts LLC, a small business specializing in aerospace technology services.

Support the x-57 project office on management of standards development. The objective of this statement of work is to provide the national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) x-57 project office with support on project-related technology transfer associated with certification and regulations under title 14 of the code of federal regulations (CFR) covering the airworthiness standards for normal category airplanes (part 23), aircraft engines (part 33), and propellers (part 35), as well as the associated means of compliance to those regulations, being developed by the astm committee F44 on general aviation AIRCRAFT1 and committee F39 on aircraft SYSTEMS2, with a special focus on subcommittee F39.05 on design, alteration, and certification of electric propulsion systems. While technology transfer is a well-understood process where the process of demonstrating technology in relevant environments has well-established methods, the added complexity of ensuring that the technology transfer is made more literate in a certification and-or regulatory environment requires special attention. At one level, the certification and-or regulatory practices can be used to form the very definition of the relevant environment. However, an undisciplined application of certification and-or regulatory practices can unnecessarily constrain the technology maturation process, and effectively stunt the technology demonstration. Therefore, a knowledgeable and scrupulous review of technology transfer issues associated with certification and regulation early in the project life-cycle provides a means by which the technology can demonstrate its function in a relevant environment, as well as inform the relevant environment to the potential benefits of the technology.