NASA Streamlines Online System for Licensing Patented Space Inventions
Published Date: 7/28/2026
Notice
Summary
NASA is updating its online system, ATLAS, where companies and people apply to license NASA’s patented tech. If you want to use NASA’s inventions, you’ll need to submit a solid business plan and some paperwork by August 27, 2026. This update aims to make the process smoother and less of a hassle for everyone involved.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
NASA license application documents
If you apply for a NASA patent license through ATLAS, you must submit supporting documents such as a certificate of incorporation, a financial statement, a business and/or commercialization plan, a project revenue/royalty spreadsheet, and a company balance sheet. At minimum, every applicant must submit a satisfactory plan for the development and/or marketing of the invention so NASA can evaluate commercialization readiness.
ATLAS electronic submission and burden
The ATLAS license application is collected electronically. NASA estimates 539 annual responses, with an estimated 8 hours per response and a total annual burden of 4,312 hours for all respondents.
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