en.Wedoany.com Reported - On Monday, June 29, 2026, at a joint ceremony held at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington, D.C., the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) signed a memorandum of agreement, formally establishing the Small Business Investment Company-NASA (SBIC-NASA) program.
This cross-agency collaboration aims to expand private sector investment in domestic small businesses, component manufacturers, and technology suppliers that underpin the long-term infrastructure of the U.S. space economy.
The program combines NASA's newly established Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) with the SBA's existing Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program. Under the agreement's structure, NASA will systematically identify specific technology gaps and engineering priorities in the civil aerospace sector. The SBA, leveraging its SBIC investment framework, will provide federal matching leverage to licensed private equity and venture capital funds, thereby multiplying private capital directed toward critical supply chain sub-sectors.
The initiative aims to address production bottlenecks in the domestic space industrial base and expand commercial manufacturing capacity. Unlike direct federal research grants, the SBIC-NASA structure mobilizes private institutional capital to build the manufacturing capabilities needed to support sustained lunar operations and the framework for future Mars exploration.
Key industrial areas for capital deployment include: avionics and radiation-hardened electronics, specifically high-reliability flight computing systems and component-level assembly lines; nuclear propulsion and advanced power systems, namely basic power generation hardware for deep space transport and lunar surface operations; and launch and range infrastructure, involving scalable manufacturing of high-stress mechanical components, specialized ground support equipment, and precision structures.
This partnership aligns with national space policy goals emphasizing supply chain resilience and industrial independence. In fiscal year 2026, the SBA has prioritized structural improvements for domestic manufacturers, including fee reductions and increasing loan guarantees to 90%. The SBIC-NASA program embeds aerospace technology selection within this capital mobilization framework.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman stated that to achieve national space policy, NASA needs a stronger industrial base capable of moving at the speed required by the new space race. Through the NASA Office of Strategic Capital, the partnership with the SBA will help small businesses access the capital needed to scale up, strengthen critical supply chains, and rebuild America's industrial strength.
The operational framework will integrate directly with the SBA's Office of Investment and Innovation. Participating licensed SBIC funds will be eligible for SBA-backed secondary debt leverage, enhancing fund-level returns while reducing private sector risk in capital-intensive hardware manufacturing.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler stated that the two agencies are working together to energize the industrial base behind the space program and connect innovators building key technologies with the capital they need. The SBA is mobilizing private sector investment to drive the small businesses, manufacturers, and innovators leading America's space dominance.
The NASA Office of Strategic Capital will begin hosting technical briefings and matchmaking forums in the third quarter of 2026, connecting vetted small defense and civil contractors with participating SBIC fund managers.
