We propose a new and innovative beamed propulsion architecture that enables an interstellar mission to proxima centauri with a 42-year cruise duration at 10% the speed of light. This architecture…
Ended Grant For Research Awarded Last action
- Contract number
- 80NSSC18K0865
- Awardee
-
Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station UEI QD1MX6N5YTN4
- Awarding agency
-
Shared Services Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Obligated
- $123,663
Award facts
- Contract value 100% obligated
- $123,663.24 Current and potential, with all options
- Completion date 100% complete
- Current and potential, with all options
- NAICS code
- Not on record
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
- Competition
- Full and Open Competition Basic Research
- Pricing
- Other
- Place of performance
- College Station, TX 77840, USA
Award details come from SAM.gov/FPDS.
Transactions
| Action | Obligated | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Funding Only Action | -$289 | |
| Original award | $123,952 |
About this award
This federal contract award was granted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (Tees), a government entity and state institution of higher learning. The $123,663.24 grant is for research into a new and innovative beamed propulsion architecture that could enable an interstellar mission to Proxima Centauri at 10% the speed of light with a 42-year cruise duration. This propulsion system is designed to provide increased velocity change (delta-V) and payload mass compared to laser propulsion alone, and could also enable rapid travel to destinations like the Oort Cloud and the Solar Gravitational Lens. The contract has no set-aside designation and was awarded on May 15, 2018, with a completion date of August 19, 2019. Tees has extensive experience as both a prime contractor and subcontractor, providing research, engineering, and technical services to federal agencies in areas such as renewable energy, biomedical devices, advanced manufacturing, and disaster resilience.
Description
We propose a new and innovative beamed propulsion architecture that enables an interstellar mission to proxima centauri with a 42-year cruise duration at 10% the speed of light. This architecture dramatically increases the distance over which the spacecraft is accelerated (compared with laser propulsion) while simultaneously reducing the beam size at the transmitter and probe from 10S of kilometers to less than 10 meters. These advantages translate into increased velocity change (delta-v) and payload mass compared with laser propulsion alone. While primarily geared toward interstellar missions, our propulsion architecture also enables rapid travel to destinations such as oort cloud objects and the solar gravitational lens at 500 AU.
Quick answers
Who was awarded contract 80NSSC18K0865?
80NSSC18K0865 was awarded to Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station by Shared Services Center (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on May 15, 2018.
How much is contract 80NSSC18K0865 worth?
The government has obligated $123,663 on 80NSSC18K0865.
Was contract 80NSSC18K0865 competed?
The extent of competition for 80NSSC18K0865 was full and open competition.
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