The Advancement of Exploration Components for In-Space Servicing (AXCIS) Early Career Initiative (ECI) project aims to complete the design of an optimized servicing system needed for near future servicing missions by rapidly developing a suite of gap technologies with commercial partners followed by component and system level environmental testing to raise the technologies to a readiness level of 6.

The AXCIS ECI team will achieve the project goals by partnering with industry-leading vendors to design and fabricate flight Engineering Development Units (EDUs) that mimic flight designs. The first year of the project will be focused on technology development, with hardware delivery to NASA targeted for the first and second quarter of fiscal year 2025. During the second year of the project, the AXCIS ECI team will perform component level environmental testing followed by the integration of all the AXCIS ECI technologies into an optimized servicing system simulator and system level environmental testing, all at NASA facilities. The AXCIS ECI team is comprised of early career NASA engineers and mentors with specialized experience in technology development, procurement, electrical design, and environmental testing, making the team highly qualified to take on the challenges associated with completing the AXCIS project goals. An independent review team will be established to audit the progress and provide technical feedback during the development process, along with inserting their specific and potentially unique stakeholder requirements. Additionally, the AXCIS ECI team will leverage On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) lessons learned as well as the results from Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I, SBIR Phase II, and IR&TD research and development efforts prior to initiating further technology development under the AXCIS ECI project, therefore providing the team with a strong design foundation, making the aggressive milestone schedule achievable. As NASA, Department of Defense (DoD), and commercial companies set their sights on refueling, in-space servicing, and Lunar/Martian surface operations, the need for the AXCIS technologies and optimized servicing systems are imminent. The AXCIS ECI project conclusion at the end of fiscal year 2025 will allow the developed AXCIS technologies to be infused in future missions just prior to their design freezes and assist in bringing them to the U.S. commercial market.

A suite of gap servicing technologies advanced to a TLR 6 for infusion into upcoming missions performing servicing operations in space.