The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $275,000 Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to Raven Space Systems, Inc., a small disadvantaged business in Kansas City, KS. The grant, funded through the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084), aims to develop 3D printing capabilities for high-strength heat shield materials to enable fully 3D printed reentry capsules for space cargo return missions. The core innovation is a platform technology for...
This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program, supports the development of an advanced propellant-less propulsion system for small satellites by Field Propulsion Technologies Inc., a small business located in Aurora, Colorado. The $1,000,000 award, with a performance period from September 2024 to August 2026, aims to scale up a laboratory prototype and demonstrate a propulsion device...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships grant award of $274,996 to Fenix Space, Inc. will support the development of a novel reusable launch platform and two-body separation system under unique aerodynamic circumstances. The goals of the Phase I project are to build a prototype separation system and validate it through sub-orbital flight testing. This innovative top-carry air-launch concept aims to demonstrate improved separation system design that can...
This $256,000 Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program will support Onyx Aerospace Inc.'s development of an additively manufactured, non-toxic, advanced storable hybrid rocket propulsion system. Specifically, the company will develop a thermoplastic-based fuel with electrical ignition properties suitable for cubesats. They will test fuel formulations for compatibility with the ignition...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $275,000 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to develop a novel "Pulsar Rocket Engine" with increased thrust, efficiency, and simplified design compared to current rocket engines. The project aims to demonstrate the advantages of using pulsed reactant detonations to generate thrust and temporarily create a partial vacuum in the combustion chamber, which enables significantly greater...
This $274,120 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the development of an "optical orbital hotspot network" to enhance satellite data collection and utilization. The award recipient, Spacerake, Inc., will focus on creating multi-access laser communication terminals and advancing orbital optical hotspot technology. This...
This $274,951 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program supports the research and development of an air-breathing electric propulsion system for reusable satellites by Viridian Space Corporation. The proposed system uses an electric propulsion thruster and an air scoop to collect atmospheric air, enabling satellites to refuel directly from the Earth's atmosphere. This technology aims to create reusable satellites...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $272,800 SBIR Phase I Project Grant to Morningbird Media Corporation to develop and test a prototype propulsion engine that utilizes electromagnetic energy to enable high-speed space travel. The goal is to create a fundamentally new approach to spacecraft propulsion that could lead to orders of magnitude faster space travel compared to current chemical propulsion systems. The key technical objectives are to develop a complex dielectric material and...
This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) award to Samara Aerospace, Inc. provides $274,993 to develop a Multifunctional Structures for Attitude Control (MSAC) system. The project aims to enhance the efficiency, reliability, and readiness of this attitude control system for spacecraft, with the goal of enabling new commercial and scientific applications that require highly agile, low-cost, and space-hardened satellite orientation control. Key...
This $996,708 Cooperative Agreement awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program will enable Off Planet Research L.L.C., a small business, to develop portable production equipment to create large quantities of realistic icy regolith simulants. These simulants will replicate the environment and properties of icy materials found on the Moon and other planetary bodies, allowing greater access for academia, industry, and...