⚡ Department of Energy — Open Solicitations & AstroForge Relevance

Analysis of DOE funding opportunities, ARPA-E programs, national lab partnerships, and critical minerals initiatives relevant to AstroForge's asteroid mining capabilities. Updated Feb 17, 2026.

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📋 DOE & National Lab Opportunities (Space / Nuclear / Materials / Minerals)

Relevance & Title ↕ Source ↕ Type ↕ Deadline ↕ Link

📊 DOE FY2026 Budget Overview

181
Total Active DOE
~47
Relevant (Score 3+)
10+
National Labs
5
ARPA-E FOAs
-$4.7B
FY26 Budget Change
DOE ComponentFY2025 ($B)FY2026 ($B)Change ($B)Change (%)Notes
NNSA (Nuclear Security)24.024.00.00.0%Flat base; $30B w/ reconciliation
Office of Science8.17.0-1.1-13.6%17 national labs affected
EERE (Renewables)4.51.9-2.6-57.8%Massive cuts under Wright
IIJA Clean Energy5.00.0-5.0-100%$15.2B cancelled
Fossil Energy1.01.2+0.2+20%Name restored; LNG focus
Environmental Mgmt4.03.5-0.5-12.5%Nuclear cleanup
Nuclear Energy1.71.5-0.2-11.8%SMRs, advanced reactors
Power Marketing0.50.50.00.0%BPA, WAPA, etc.

⚡ Key Takeaway for AstroForge

Under Secretary Wright (Liberty Energy CEO), DOE is pivoting hard toward fossil fuels, nuclear, and critical minerals while gutting renewables. This actually benefits AstroForge: the critical minerals & space nuclear programs are priorities, while ARPA-E maintains its focus on transformative energy tech including space-related concepts.

🛡️ AstroForge — DOE Capability Profile

Relevant DOE Capabilities

Critical Minerals / PGMsAsteroid-derived platinum group metals directly address DOE critical minerals strategy. China/Russia control 70%+ of terrestrial PGM supply.
Space Nuclear PowerAstroForge missions beyond Mars require nuclear power sources. DOE/NNSA provides radioisotope and fission systems for deep-space missions.
Materials ProcessingVaporization-based metal extraction in microgravity — novel materials science with DOE national lab applications.
Advanced ManufacturingIn-space manufacturing processes for structural metals — aligns with DOE advanced manufacturing programs.
Solar Electric PropulsionAstroForge's propulsion uses solar-electric systems — funded through DOE solar energy research and ARPA-E.
Sensor / SpectroscopyAsteroid composition analysis via spectroscopy — derived from DOE-funded basic science at national labs.

DOE Value Proposition

  • Critical Minerals Independence — DOE's #1 priority under Wright is energy dominance. Asteroid PGMs eliminate reliance on adversary nations for catalysts, electronics, fuel cells, and defense applications.
  • Space Nuclear Propulsion — NNSA Naval Reactors + DOE Office of Nuclear Energy fund space nuclear thermal/electric propulsion. AstroForge deep-space missions = ideal customer.
  • National Lab Partnerships — 17 DOE national labs with expertise in materials science, spectroscopy, nuclear tech, advanced computing. Ideal R&D partners.
  • ARPA-E Transformative Energy — High-risk/high-reward energy tech. Space-based solar, in-space resource utilization, and novel materials processing fit ARPA-E's mandate.
Trump Admin Advantage: Secretary Wright (fracking CEO) is pro-mining, pro-extraction, pro-critical-minerals. Asteroid mining pitch aligns perfectly with this administration's resource extraction philosophy.

🏛️ DOE Leadership (Trump Admin)

Chris Wright

Secretary of Energy • Former CEO, Liberty Energy (fracking)

Pro-fossil, pro-nuclear, skeptical of renewables. Key priority: "energy dominance" and critical minerals independence from China.

James Danly

Deputy Secretary • Former FERC Chairman

Brandon Williams

NNSA Administrator • Former U.S. Representative (NY-22), Navy veteran

Oversees nuclear stockpile, naval reactors, national labs. $24B+ budget. Space nuclear propulsion falls under NNSA.

🎯 Top DOE Opportunities for AstroForge

Programs analyzed for relevance to asteroid mining, in-space resource utilization, and dual-use energy/space capabilities.

ARPA-E — Mining Innovation

9/10
ARPA-E • Critical Minerals Extraction • Check arpa-e.energy.gov for open FOAs
ARPA-E funds transformative approaches to critical mineral extraction, processing, and recycling. Programs like MINER target novel extraction from unconventional sources.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Asteroid mining IS the ultimate unconventional critical mineral source. Propose vaporization-based PGM extraction as transformative technology. ARPA-E loves moonshot ideas — this is literally one.
$2M–$10MCheck for FOAsCritical MineralsExtraction
🔗 View ARPA-E Programs →

DOE Critical Minerals Initiative

9/10
Office of Fossil Energy & Carbon Mgmt + EERE • Strategic Supply Chain • Multiple FOAs
Cross-cutting DOE initiative to secure domestic supply of critical minerals including PGMs, rare earths, lithium, cobalt. Funding for extraction, processing, recycling R&D.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Position asteroid mining as the ultimate diversification strategy. Even early-stage R&D on space-based extraction feeds into critical minerals supply chain resilience. Wright admin is very receptive to this framing.
$1M–$25MMultiple FOAsPGMsSupply Chain
🔗 View Critical Minerals →

DOE/NASA Space Nuclear Power & Propulsion

8/10
NNSA + Office of Nuclear Energy • Radioisotope & Fission • Joint DOE/NASA
DOE provides nuclear power systems for deep-space missions. Radioisotope Power Systems (RPS), Fission Surface Power, and Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) via DRACO partnership with DARPA. Idaho National Laboratory leads.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Future asteroid belt missions will require nuclear power beyond solar range. Partner with INL on mission-class nuclear power systems. Fission Surface Power for asteroid processing stations.
$5M–$50MNuclearDeep SpaceINL
🔗 View Space Nuclear →

ARPA-E Open FOA

8/10
ARPA-E • Transformative Energy Tech • Periodic (check website)
Periodic open FOA accepting proposals for any transformative energy technology. ARPA-E has funded space-adjacent projects (space-based solar, novel materials, extreme environment systems).
🎯 AstroForge pitch: In-space material processing as transformative energy supply chain technology. Asteroid PGMs for hydrogen fuel cell catalysts = energy independence from adversary mineral supply chains.
$1M–$10MOpen TopicTransformative
🔗 View ARPA-E Funding →

National Lab CRADAs & SPPs

8/10
17 National Labs • Cooperative R&D Agreements • Always available
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) and Strategic Partnership Projects (SPPs) let companies access national lab expertise, facilities, and equipment. No competitive solicitation required — negotiate directly.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Partner with relevant labs — LANL/LLNL (materials science), INL (nuclear power), ORNL (advanced manufacturing), PNNL (sensors), Sandia (systems engineering). Access billion-dollar facilities for in-space resource processing R&D.
$100K–$5MAlways AvailableNational LabsDirect Negotiate
🔗 View Tech Transfer →

DOE SBIR/STTR Program

7/10
DOE Office of Science + EERE + NE + FE • Small Business R&D • ⏸️ PAUSED — Authorization expired Oct 2025
DOE's SBIR/STTR program funds small business R&D in advanced materials, energy technologies, nuclear science, and computational science. Topics cover sensors, materials processing, and advanced manufacturing.
🎯 AstroForge action: MONITOR for reauthorization. When it resumes, target topics in critical minerals extraction, advanced materials processing, and nuclear power for space. DOE SBIR is less competitive than NASA/DoD — higher win rates.
PAUSEDPhase I: $200KPhase II: $1.1M
🔗 Monitor for Reauthorization →

Basic Energy Sciences (BES) — Materials & Chemical Sciences

7/10
Office of Science • Fundamental Materials R&D • Rolling FOAs
Funds fundamental research in materials science, chemical sciences, and energy-relevant physics. National lab user facilities (synchrotrons, neutron sources) available for materials characterization.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Use BES-funded user facilities at Argonne, Brookhaven, SLAC to characterize asteroid-analog materials and develop extraction processes. Fundamental science underpinning commercial asteroid mining.
$200K–$2M/yrRollingMaterials ScienceUser Facilities
🔗 View BES Programs →

Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO)

7/10
EERE • Industrial Efficiency & Manufacturing • Reduced but active
Funds advanced manufacturing R&D including additive manufacturing, materials processing, and industrial decarbonization. Manufacturing USA institutes provide industry partnerships.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: In-space manufacturing processes developed for asteroid material processing have terrestrial applications. Novel metal extraction and refining techniques applicable to critical minerals on Earth.
$500K–$5MManufacturingMaterials
🔗 View AMO →

Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)

5/10
Office of Science • Plasma & Fusion R&D • FOAs periodic
Funds fusion energy research including plasma physics, materials for extreme environments, and magnetic confinement. PPPL leads.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Tangential — plasma physics and extreme-environment materials overlap with vaporization-based extraction. Long-term: fusion propulsion for asteroid belt access. Limited near-term fit.
$200K–$3MPlasmaExtreme Materials
🔗 View FES →

NNSA Academic Alliance & Partnerships

6/10
NNSA • University & Industry Partnerships • Various
NNSA partners with universities and industry for materials science, computational physics, and high-energy-density science relevant to stockpile stewardship.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Materials science under extreme conditions (high temperature metal vaporization) has overlap with NNSA weapons physics. Partner through university consortium.
$100K–$2MMaterialsUniversity
🔗 View NNSA →

DOE Loan Programs Office (LPO)

6/10
DOE • Federal Loans & Guarantees • $400B+ lending authority
Title XVII loans for innovative energy projects. Has funded nuclear, advanced vehicles, and critical minerals projects. Under Wright, pivoting toward nuclear and fossil. $400B+ in lending authority.
🎯 AstroForge pitch: Critical minerals processing infrastructure could qualify for Title XVII loans. Ground-based PGM refining facility using asteroid-derived techniques = innovative energy project. Long-term play.
$100M–$10B+LoansInfrastructure
🔗 View LPO →

SAM.gov DOE Solicitations

7/10
DOE-wide • All Active Solicitations • ~1,200 active
DOE posts all federal contract opportunities on SAM.gov. Filter by DOE, then by keywords: "critical minerals," "materials processing," "space," "nuclear," "spectroscopy," "sensors."
🎯 AstroForge action: Set up SAM.gov saved search alerts for DOE opportunities matching keywords: critical minerals, platinum group, materials processing, spectroscopy, nuclear power, advanced manufacturing.
VariesAlways ActiveFederal Contracts
🔗 Search DOE on SAM.gov →

🔬 Key National Lab Partners for AstroForge

Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

Idaho Falls, ID • Dir: John Wagner

Why: Leads DOE space nuclear power & propulsion. Develops fission systems for deep-space missions. AstroForge's future missions beyond solar range need nuclear power.

Space NuclearFissionRadioisotope

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

Oak Ridge, TN • Dir: Stephen Streiffer

Why: World-leading materials science — neutron scattering, advanced manufacturing, isotope production. Critical minerals extraction R&D. Spallation Neutron Source for materials characterization.

MaterialsManufacturingIsotopes

Sandia National Laboratories

Albuquerque, NM • Dir: James Peery

Why: Systems engineering excellence. Space systems, autonomous systems, sensors, materials under extreme conditions. Z Machine for high-energy-density science.

Systems EngSensorsAutonomous

Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL)

Richland, WA • Dir: Steven Ashby

Why: Advanced sensors, spectroscopy, chemical processing. Strong in critical minerals processing and environmental science. AstroForge sensor development partner.

SpectroscopySensorsChemical Processing

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Los Alamos, NM • Dir: Thom Mason

Why: Plutonium science, materials under extreme conditions, advanced computing. Space science heritage (Van Allen probes instruments). Kilopower/nuclear power for space.

NuclearMaterialsComputing

Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL)

Livermore, CA • Dir: Kimberly Budil

Why: National Ignition Facility (laser fusion), high-energy-density physics, advanced manufacturing (additive/metals). Space debris tracking with NIF-derived sensors.

LaserHED PhysicsAdditive Mfg

🧭 Strategic Recommendations — AstroForge DOE Playbook

🔴 Immediate (30 days)

  • Check ARPA-E for open FOAs — Submit concept for asteroid-based critical minerals extraction
  • Set up SAM.gov saved search alerts for DOE + critical minerals keywords
  • Contact INL tech transfer office about space nuclear power CRADA
  • Monitor SBIR/STTR reauthorization status

🟠 60 Days

  • Initiate CRADA discussions with PNNL (sensors/spectroscopy) and ORNL (materials processing)
  • Submit to BES user facility access program for materials characterization
  • Prepare critical minerals white paper for DOE leadership
  • Engage ARPA-E program managers on space resource utilization concept

🟡 6 Months

  • DOE SBIR/STTR proposals when reauthorized — critical minerals, materials processing topics
  • Build national lab partnership portfolio — 2-3 active CRADAs
  • Position for LPO loan for ground-based PGM processing facility
  • Present at DOE Annual Merit Review or ARPA-E Summit

🟣 12+ Months

  • Space nuclear power partnership with INL for deep-space mission power
  • Critical minerals supply chain integration into DOE national strategy
  • Vestri mission success → demonstrate in-space resource characterization → unlock DOE funding
  • Manufacturing USA institute membership for in-space manufacturing

⛏️ The Critical Minerals Pitch to DOE

DOE's Critical Minerals Strategy is a top priority under Secretary Wright. The US depends on adversary nations for 80%+ of critical minerals including PGMs. DOE funds extraction R&D, processing technology, and supply chain diversification.

AstroForge's unique angle: Asteroid mining isn't competing with terrestrial mining — it's supplementing it. A single metallic asteroid contains more PGMs than all known terrestrial reserves. Frame it as: "R&D investment now → strategic mineral independence later."

Pitch to: Secretary Wright's office • ARPA-E Director • Office of Critical Minerals • AMO Director • Congressional Energy Committees

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Sources: DOE.gov, ARPA-E.energy.gov, SAM.gov, DOE national lab websites, OMB FY2026 budget documents.
Generated Feb 17, 2026. Verify all deadlines and FOA availability before submitting.