Full and Open Competition after exclusion of sources
Major Defense Program
Not listed
Pricing Type
Firm Fixed Price
Place of Performance
Covina, CA 91722, USA
Solicitation Procedures
Negotiated Proposal / Quote
Number Of Offers Received
500
Legislative Mandate
Not listed
National Interest Action
Not listed
Research Type
SBIR Program Phase I Action
Primary Consortia Member
Not listed
This is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract awarded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Photon Systems, Inc., a for-profit subchapter S corporation. The contract, valued at $124,967, is for developing a standoff Remote In-situ Triggered Organic Compound (RITOC) detection instrument. The goal is to enable remote detection and classification of trace concentrations of organic compounds on the surfaces of ocean and icy worlds, including Europa, Enceladus, and Titan, as well as other cold environments. The proposed instrument would utilize low-temperature fluorescence spectroscopy to achieve significantly improved detection sensitivity compared to the Mars 2020 SHERLOC vibrational spectroscopy instrument. This Phase I effort is intended to demonstrate the proof-of-concept and increase the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 1 to 2, with a planned Phase II effort to develop and demonstrate the RITOC instrument at terrestrial distances up to 100 meters, bringing the TRL up to 3.