Cooperative Agreement 80NSSC21M0034

This Cooperative Agreement award of $1,000,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) 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 based in Aurora, Colorado. The project aims to create a prototype propulsion device utilizing a specialized metamaterial based on graphene composite that can generate thrust through unresolved...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $274,969 to Juno Propulsion Inc. will develop a new satellite thruster using rotating detonation combustion (RDC) and non-toxic propellants. The thruster is projected to operate with significantly higher specific impulse than current solutions, leading to a 100% increase in satellite lifespan in low Earth orbit. This will permit improvements such as a 40% increase in camera...

Rocket Propulsion Systems LLC received a $255,993 Small Business Innovation Research Phase I Project Grant from the National Science Foundation to develop a liquid oxygen-methane engine for small satellite launch vehicles. Funded under the NSF's Engineering program (CFDA 47.041), this 12-month award will support the design and testing of an engine using liquid oxygen and methane propellants. The Engineering program seeks to improve engineering research and education to foster innovation and...

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...

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation - Technologies (USNC-Space) a $124,592.39 Project Grant under the Space Technology program (CFDA 43.012) to design a compact radioisotope-electric-propulsion spacecraft powered by a novel chargeable atomic battery (CAB). The CAB technology aims to enable spacecraft delta-V capabilities on the order of 100 km/s with a power system specific mass of 5-8 kg/kWe. The award period runs from March 8, 2021...

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...

Federal Grant Award Summary The Regents of the University of Minnesota received a $498,400 Project Grant (Award 24-ECF24FP-0022) from NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate under the Space Technology program (CFDA 43.012), with an award date of May 19, 2025 and a completion date of May 18, 2028. The project will conduct a laboratory-scale concept demonstration of directed energy propulsion utilizing metasurface lightsails, performed at the university's Minneapolis, Minnesota location....

NASA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center awarded a $105,254 project grant under the Space Technology program to Planet Enterprises on March 26, 2021. The grant supported development of a drilling system and mission architecture utilizing a Perseverance-type rover as a drill rig with minimal science instruments. The proposed system and mission design advances NASA's goals under the Space Technology program to transform future space exploration missions and...

This $259,661 Project Grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center will fund the development of advanced entry and powered descent guidance technology for precise planetary landing at Purdue University from April 2021 through April 2022. The project aims to develop a highly implementable onboard optimal guidance approach that optimizes complete entry, powered descent, and landing trajectories in real-time to achieve fuel-optimal and precise landing for...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program provides $275,000 to advance the development of an electromechanical mass transfer system for space operations. The project aims to create a novel platform that can enable cost-effective movement of resources on the lunar surface and other low-gravity environments without the use of consumable fuels or onboard propulsion systems. The work will focus...