IMSA has entered into a multi-year technical partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), bringing together motorsport and aerospace expertise through a newly signed ‘Space Act Partnership’.
The collaboration, formalised under NASA’s Other Transactions Authority (OTA), will centre on a programme of twice-yearly Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs) focused on telemetry, diagnostics and sensor technologies.
Under the agreement, IMSA and NASA will alternate hosting the sessions between NASA facilities and IMSA race events, with discussions limited to publicly available information. Areas of focus will include machine-learning applications for diagnostics, wireless networking, RFID usage and advanced sensor methodologies.
IMSA President John Doonan said the partnership offered significant opportunities for knowledge sharing between the two sectors.
“This partnership represents a unique fusion of aerospace and motorsports innovation,” said 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 approaches to telemetry data acquisition, prognostics and sensor systems, which are key elements of human spaceflight programmes. In return, IMSA will share its experience of vehicle telemetry, diagnostics and rapid-response data systems developed for high-speed racing environments.
The first Technical Interchange Meeting is scheduled to take place at NASA’s Ames Research Center, with subsequent sessions planned at IMSA events and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
No funding will be exchanged as part of the agreement, with both organisations covering their own costs.
The partnership reflects NASA’s wider strategy of engaging with commercial and non-traditional partners, while IMSA continues to explore new technologies aimed at enhancing competition, innovation and safety in sports car racing.
In addition, IMSA announced ahead of the Rolex 24 that UK-based global ultrasonic fluid flow sensor manufacturer Sentronics has signed a multi-year marketing agreement with IMSA to become a Proud Technology Supplier of America’s premier sports car series.
IMSA is also expanding its partnership with BDO USA, designating the global advisory and professional services firm as the Official Digital Transformation Partner of IMSA Labs.
Image courtesy of IMSA