Draft Standard Royalty Schedule for NASA SLE-RCF License

Intel / Context Summary

NASA has made its flight-proven SLE-RCF software library available for licensing, implementing a CCSDS-standardized space data protocol with clear commercial demand from ground station operators facing interoperability costs, but the licensing is capped at $150k/year and requires navigating NASA's bureaucratic ATLAS system.

Catalyst: Why Now

The NASA TTA process requires the licensee to propose financial terms, creating a massive information asymmetry. Applicants have no benchmark for what constitutes a 'reasonable' royalty rate, upfront fee, or yearly minimum for this specific asset, leading to either leaving money on the table or proposing terms that get rejected.

Friction: The Bottleneck

• Vulnerability: The NASA TTA process requires the licensee to propose financial terms, creating a massive information asymmetry. Applicants have no benchmark for what constitutes a 'reasonable' royalty rate, upfront fee, or yearly minimum for this specific asset, leading to either leaving money on the table or proposing terms that get rejected.
• Capital yield: 3 engagements @ $2,400 = $7,200 (repeatable service)
• Resource capture: Proprietary database of de facto NASA software licensing terms
• Influence capture: Niche authority as the intermediary between aerospace legal teams and NASA's opaque TTA process
• Required vectors: Vector: Legal Analysis & Contract Drafting, Vector: Government Technology Transfer Process

Wedge: Execution Protocol

Phase 1: Reconnaissance & Precedent Analysis: File a FOIA request for redacted copies of 5-10 executed Technology Transfer Agreements for software (TRL 6+) from NASA Goddard and Johnson Space Centers from the last 5 years. The goal is not to get SLE-RCF specifics, but to reverse-engineer NASA's standard financial clause structures, royalty rate ranges, and definitions of 'net sales'. Analyze the redacted documents for patterns. → Phase 2: Specialist Engagement & Schedule Drafting: Using the FOIA analysis, draft a 'Standard Royalty Schedule & Justification Memo for SLE-RCF'. Create three tailored versions: 1) For Universities/Non-Profits (0.5% royalty, $1k upfront), 2) For Commercial Startups (<50 employees, 2% royalty, $5k minimum), 3) For Large Defense/Aerospace Primes (3% royalty, $25k yearly minimum, referencing the $150k cap). For each, include bullet-point justifications citing the software's TRL 9 status and commercial demand. → Phase 3: Deliver & Capture Yield: Target the capture market. Cold-email the general counsel or head of IP at 50 small-to-mid-sized aerospace companies (list from Crunchbase/Orbital Index). Subject: "Benchmark for your NASA SLE-RCF license negotiation." Offer the relevant template package (Startup or Prime) for a fixed fee of $2,400, framed as saving $10k+ in legal research and ensuring ATLAS approval. Structure the deliverable as a consultation: send the templates after a 30-minute call to understand their use case.

Routing Vectors

Specific Roles Required

Claim Protocol