This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Arctic Slope Technical Services, Inc., an Alaskan Native Corporation-owned small disadvantaged business. The $125,000 firm-fixed-price contract is to demonstrate the feasibility of using selective laser melting (SLM) to produce a 3-meter symmetrical radius of curvature isogrid mirror substrate for use in ultraviolet, optical, and infrared (UVOIR) telescopes....
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program Phase I contract to Dallas Optical Systems Inc., a veteran-owned small business manufacturer, for the development of a method to fabricate a very low-cost, lightweight, large-aperture aluminum alloy mirror using additive manufacturing, robotic welding, and diamond turning processes. The $124,841.00 firm-fixed-price contract was awarded on June 9, 2017, with a completion date of...
This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract awarded by the Shared Services Center (SSC) of a civilian federal agency. The prime contractor, Optimax Systems, Inc., will develop a process for manufacturing lightweight, stable mirror substrates using additive manufacturing (3D printing) techniques. The goal is to produce mirror substrates suitable for use in space and flight applications, with a focus on demonstrating the feasibility of the manufacturing process and...
This federal contract award to Peregrine Falcon Corp, a small business manufacturer, is focused on maturing advanced mirror and telescope assembly technology. The goal is to significantly reduce the cost of space mirrors from the current state-of-the-art of $6.4 million per square meter to less than $1.6 million per square meter, while maintaining low weight, high stiffness, and high performance for X-ray, neutron, and UV/optical applications. The $749,280 Small Business Innovation Research...
This is a $124,840.00 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Goodman Technologies LLC, a limited liability company. The contract is for the research and development of 3D printed silicon carbide mirror segments that could be used for the primary mirror of a Far-Infrared (FIR) Surveyor space telescope mission, such as the proposed Origins Space Telescope (OST) or Large UV/Optical/IR Surveyor (LUVOIR). The...
This is a $749,714 firm-fixed-price contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Semplastics EHC LLC, a small business, under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II program. The contract is for the development of a novel, innovative ceramic material that can be used to produce large, lightweight, and cost-effective mirrors for next-generation telescopes. Semplastics will deliver four large mirrors up to 0.6 meters in diameter, with coated and...
This NASA SBIR Phase I contract was awarded to Optimax Systems, Inc., a small business manufacturer of high-precision optical components, to determine the feasibility of using non-contact areal optical sensors to measure the surfaces of freeform optics. The $124,882 firm-fixed-price contract aims to develop a metrology method that can rapidly provide feedback on surface condition during the manufacturing of precision freeform optical components, which are in high demand by NASA and other...
This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract awarded by NASA to Optipro Systems, LLC, a manufacturer of precision optics fabrication equipment and metrology systems. The $124,961 award will support the design, manufacture, and testing of a precision rotary axis for Optipro's Ultraform Finishing (UFF) optical fabrication platform. The goal is to improve the capability to rapidly remove residual grinding and machining marks, as well as sub-surface damage, on X-ray optical...
NASA has awarded a $124,960 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract to Optimax Systems, Inc. to develop a deflectometry system for improving the efficiency of manufacturing freeform optics. Freeform optics are an integral part of NASA's future optical systems, and reducing the cost of freeform manufacturing is crucial. The goal of this project is to create a multi-camera, multi-monitor deflectometry system that can be integrated into the manufacturing process to...
This is a $123,634 firm-fixed-price SBIR Phase I contract awarded by NASA to Semplastics EHC LLC, a small business, to develop an ultra-low cost, lightweight, molded, chalcogenide glass-silicon oxycarbide composite mirror component. The goal is to achieve an order of magnitude improvement in areal cost (cost per square meter of collecting aperture) over current technologies for future NASA space mirror requirements. Semplastics will leverage its in-house technologies to produce a molded bulk...