TRL NASA Definitions

NASA TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVELS TRL Definition Hardware Description Software Description 1. Basic principles Lowest level of technology readiness. Scientific Scientific knowledge generated Scientific knowledge generated underpinning observed and research begins to be translated into applied underpinning hardware technology basic properties of software architecture and reported. research and development. Examples might concepts/applications. mathematical formulation. include paper studies of a technology’s basic properties. 2. Technology Invention begins. Once basic principles are Invention begins, practical Practical application is identified but is concept and/or observed, practical applications can be invented. application is identified but is speculative, no experimental proof or detailed application The application is speculative, and there is no speculative, no experimental proof analysis is available to support the conjecture. formulated. proof or detailed analysis to support the or detailed analysis is available to Basic properties of algorithms, representations assumption. Examples are still limited to paper support the conjecture. and concepts defined. Basic principles coded. studies. Experiments performed with synthetic data. 3. Analytical and At this step in the maturation process, active Analytical studies place the Development of limited functionality to validate experimental research and development (R&D) is initiated. This technology in an appropriate critical properties and predictions using noncritical function must include both analytical studies to set the context and laboratory integrated software components. and/or technology into an appropriate context and demonstrations, modeling and characteristic laboratory-based studies to physically validate that simulation validate analytical proof of concept. the analytical predictions are correct. These prediction. studies and experiments should constitute “proofof-concept” validation of the applications/concepts formulated at TRL 2. 4. Component Following successful “proof-of-concept” work, basic A low fidelity system/component Key, functionally critical, software components and/or breadboard technological elements must be integrated to breadboard is built and operated are integrated, and functionally validated, to validation in establish that the pieces will work together to to demonstrate basic functionality establish interoperability and begin architecture laboratory achieve concept-enabling levels of performance for and critical test environments, and development. Relevant Environments defined environment. a component and/or breadboard. This validation associated performance and performance in this environment predicted. must be devised to support the concept that was predictions are defined relative to formulated earlier and should also be consistent the final operating environment. with the requirements of potential system applications. The validation is relatively “lowfidelity” compared to the eventual system: it could be composed of ad hoc discrete components in a laboratory. 1 Exit Criteria Peer reviewed publication of research underlying the proposed concept/ application. Documented description of the application/concept that addresses feasibility and benefit. Documented analytical/experimental results validating predictions of key parameters. Documented test performance demonstrating agreement with analytical predictions. Documented definition of relevant environment. TRL Definition 5. Component At this level, the fidelity of the component and/or and/or breadboard breadboard being tested has to increase validation in significantly. The basic technological elements relevant must be integrated with reasonably realistic environment. supporting elements so that the total applications (component-level, subsystem-level, or systemlevel) can be tested in a “simulated” or somewhat realistic environment. Hardware Description Software Description Exit Criteria A medium fidelity system/ End-to-end software elements implemented and Documented test component brassboard is built and interfaced with existing systems/simulations performance operated to demonstrate overall conforming to target environment. End-to-end demonstrating performance in a simulated software system, tested in relevant environment, agreement with operational environment with meeting predicted performance. Operational analytical predictions. realistic support elements that environment performance predicted. Prototype Documented definition demonstrates overall performance implementations developed. of scaling in critical areas. Performance requirements. predictions are made for subsequent development phases. 6. System/ A major step in the level of fidelity of the A high fidelity system/component Prototype implementations of the software Documented test subsystem model technology demonstration follows the completion of prototype that adequately demonstrated on full-scale realistic problems. performance or prototype TRL 5. At TRL 6, a representative model or addresses all critical scaling Partially integrate with existing hardware/ demonstrating demonstration in a prototype system or system, which would go well issues is built and operated in a software systems. Limited documentation agreement with relevant beyond ad hoc, “patch-cord,” or discrete relevant environment to available. Engineering feasibility fully analytical predictions. environment. component level breadboarding, would be tested in demonstrate operations under demonstrated. a relevant environment. At this level, if the only critical environmental conditions. relevant environment is the environment of space, then the model or prototype must be demonstrated in space. 7. System Prototype near or at planned operational system. A high fidelity engineering unit that Prototype software exists having all key Documented test prototype TRL 7 is a significant step beyond TRL 6, requiring adequately addresses all critical functionality available for demonstration and test. performance demonstration in an actual system prototype demonstration in a scaling issues is built and Well integrated with operational hardware/ demonstrating an operational space environment. The prototype should be near operated in a relevant environment software systems demonstrating operational agreement with environment. or at the scale of the planned operational system, to demonstrate performance in the feasibility. Most software bugs removed. Limited analytical predictions. and the demonstration must take place in space. actual operational environment documentation available. Examples include testing the prototype in a test and platform (ground, airborne, or bed. space). 8. Actual system Technology has been proven to work in its final The final product in its final All software has been thoroughly debugged and Documented test competed and form and under expected conditions. In almost all configuration is successfully fully integrated with all operational hardware and performance verifying “flight qualified” cases, this level is the end of true system demonstrated through test and software systems. All user documentation, analytical predictions. through test and development for most technology elements. This analysis for its intended training documentation, and maintenance demonstration. might include integration of new technology into an operational environment and documentation completed. All functionality existing system. platform (ground, airborne, or successfully demonstrated in simulated space). operational scenarios. Verification and Validation (V&V) completed. 9. Actual system Actual application of the technology in its final form The final product is successfully All software has been thoroughly debugged and Documented mission flight proven and under mission conditions, such as those operated in an actual mission. fully integrated with all operational hardware/ operational results. through encountered in operational test and evaluation. In software systems. All documentation has been successful almost all cases, this is the end of the last “bug completed. Sustaining software engineering mission fixing” aspects of true system development. This support is in place. System has been operations TRL does not include planned product successfully operated in the operational improvement of ongoing or reusable systems. environment. 2