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The NASA Office of Space Science is in the process of formulating capabilities needed to support space-science missions with launch dates 10 to 20 years in the future that are suitable and appropriate for in-space validation through the New Millennium Program's Space Technology 9 (ST9) Project. NMP's ST9 Project will be a system-level, technology-validation experiment having a launch date in the 2007 to 2008 time frame. The total funding allocated to the ST9 flight validation opportunity, for all phases and all associated technologies, is $90 million in Real Year dollars. Five Technology Concept Areas are under consideration. They are:

• Solar Sail Flight System Technology
• Precision Formation Flying System Technology
• System Technology for Large Space Telescopes
• Descent and Terminal Guidance System Technology for Pinpoint Landing and Hazard Avoidance
• Aerocapture System Technology for Planetary Missions