IMSA, NASA Launch Space Act Partnership

The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have entered into a Space Act Partnership to collaborate on cutting-edge research and technology exchange.

The agreement, signed under NASA’s Other Transactions Authority (OTA), establishes a multi-year framework for joint Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs) focused on telemetry, diagnostics and sensor methodologies.

Under the partnership, NASA and IMSA will host two TIMs per year, alternating between NASA centers and IMSA events.

These sessions will facilitate the exchange of publicly available technical insights in areas such as machine learning for diagnostics, wireless networking and RFID applications.

“This partnership represents a unique fusion of aerospace and motorsports innovation,” said IMSA President John Doonan.

“We’re proud to collaborate with NASA to explore how our respective approaches to telemetry and diagnostics can inform and elevate each other’s missions. The potential for cross-industry learning is immense.”

NASA will provide IMSA with technical overviews of its methodologies in telemetry data acquisition, prognostics and sensor technologies—critical components of human spaceflight.

In turn, IMSA will share its expertise in vehicle telemetry and rapid-response data systems used in high-speed racing environments.

The first TIM is scheduled to take place at NASA’s Ames Research Center, followed by sessions at IMSA venues and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

No funds will be exchanged under the agreement; each organization will support its own participation.

The partnership underscores NASA’s commitment to leveraging commercial and non-traditional partnerships to accelerate innovation, while IMSA continues to push the boundaries of motorsports technology and safety.