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Technology Readiness Level - NASA

Technology Readiness Level _ NASA

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Jonilson Adachi
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104 views2 pages

Technology Readiness Level - NASA

Technology Readiness Level _ NASA

Uploaded by

Jonilson Adachi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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25/08/2023, 14:57 Technology Readiness Level | NASA

Technology Readiness Level


Did You Know?
A TRL number is obtained once the description in the diagram has been
achieved. For example, successfully achieving TRL 4 (lab environment)
does not move the technology to TRL 5. TRL 5 is achieved once there is
component/breadboard validation in a relevant environment. The
technology remains TRL 4 until the relevant environmental validation is
complete.
Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) are a type of measurement system used to assess the maturity
level of a particular technology. Each technology project is evaluated against the parameters for each
technology level and is then assigned a TRL rating based on the projects progress. There are nine
technology readiness levels. TRL 1 is the lowest and TRL 9 is the highest.

When a technology is at TRL 1, scientific research is beginning and those results are being translated
into future research and development. TRL 2 occurs once the basic principles have been studied and
practical applications can be applied to those initial findings. TRL 2 technology is very speculative, as
there is little to no experimental proof of concept for the technology.

When active research and design begin, a technology is elevated to TRL 3. Generally both analytical
and laboratory studies are required at this level to see if a technology is viable and ready to proceed
further through the development process. Often during TRL 3, a proof-of-concept model is constructed.

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

Once the proof-of-concept technology is ready, the technology advances to TRL 4. During TRL 4,
multiple component pieces are tested with one another. TRL 5 is a continuation of TRL 4, however, a
technology that is at 5 is identified as a breadboard technology and must undergo more rigorous testing
than technology that is only at TRL 4. Simulations should be run in environments that are as close to
realistic as possible. Once the testing of TRL 5 is complete, a technology may advance to TRL 6. A TRL
6 technology has a fully functional prototype or representational model.

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/engineering/technology/technology_readiness_level 1/2
25/08/2023, 14:57 Technology Readiness Level | NASA

TRL 7 technology requires that the working model or prototype be demonstrated in a space
environment. TRL 8 technology has been tested and "flight qualified" and it's ready for implementation
into an already existing technology or technology system. Once a technology has been "flight proven"
during a successful mission, it can be called TRL 9.

Current SCaN Technology Initiatives


Disruption Tolerant Networking
Optical Communication
Software Defined Radios
Deep Space Atomic Clock

Last Updated: Apr 1, 2021


Editor: Irene Tzinis

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/engineering/technology/technology_readiness_level 2/2

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