National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Marshall Space Flight Center

Hi-C

Hi-C

About the Program

The High resolution Coronal Imager was an instrument selected through NASA's ROSES program and designed to follow Low Cost Access to Space (LCAS) guidelines. These guidelines include 1. innovative design, 2. exploitation of latest technology, 3. flight-test maturation of new technologies, 4. cost-effectiveness. The LCAS development environment complements the strict, requirements-driven, high-cost mission approach by fostering innovation and prudent risk-taking. It also allows flexibility to exploit and develop low cost Commercial Orbital Transportation (COTS) technology while providing flight-operations experience and design refinement over successive missions. Overall, LCAS investigations can quickly and inexpensively test technology directly supporting strategic missions from conception through science analysis.