Project Grant 80NSSC24K0830

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award to Guardiansat LLC will develop methods for space-based detection of orbital debris to decrease risks of collisions in space. The $273,332 grant, awarded on September 15, 2023, aims to build a space-based debris awareness system that can identify, track, and model objects within spacecraft orbits in real-time. This technology could enable better predictive and reactive collision avoidance against...

The Airborne Lunar Spectral Irradiance (AIR-LUSI) project, funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate under the Science program (CFDA 43.001), received a Project Grant award of $287,300 on August 5, 2025, with a completion date of August 4, 2026. Led by Dr. Kevin Turpie at the University of Maryland Baltimore County with support from NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, the project is designed to conduct high-accuracy spectral irradiance measurements from airborne platforms. The research...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I award provides $246,028 to Interlune Corporation to develop and demonstrate a novel regolith size sorting system for use on the Moon. The goal is to create a device that can sort "moon dirt" (lunar regolith) by particle size, which is a critical capability for in-situ resource utilization activities on the lunar surface. The project will address performance and scalability risks by developing a...

Lunar Resources, Inc. received a $124,999 Project Grant award from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Shared Services Center under the Space Technology program. The grant funded an end-to-end system-level study to design a very large low frequency (5-40 MHz) radio observatory called Farview on the lunar farside using local lunar regolith materials. The study was completed between June 1, 2021 and February 28, 2022. The Space Technology program aims to advance technologies and test...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Division of Physics (CFDA 47.049 Mathematical and Physical Sciences) provides $170,165 to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to support the conceptual design of the laser interferometers for the Cosmic Explorer gravitational wave observatory. The key products and services to be delivered under this award include: Producing a parametric conceptual optical design for the Cosmic Explorer interferometers, which will inform...

This National Science Foundation (NSF) Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) Project Grant award of $274,999 to Orbital Services Corporation LLC will enable the development of novel capabilities for autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations with uncooperative space objects. The key products of this SBIR Phase I project include: Synthesized neural Lyapunov functions to be integrated into control systems, enabling safe inspection and capture of uncooperative, uncontrolled,...

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...

Federal Grant Award Summary Under this Project Grant awarded by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (CFDA 43.012) on May 19, 2025, the University of California, Berkeley will develop piezoelectric-based power conversion systems for small power systems on the lunar surface. The $497,083 award funds research and development activities through May 18, 2028, aimed at creating power conversion technologies that achieve three primary objectives: (1) high power density and specific gravity to...

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), doing business as the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), received a $295,965 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Office of Integrative Activities. The grant was awarded on August 15, 2021 under the NSF's Geosciences program (CFDA #47.050) to support the "Collaborative Research: Elements: The LROSE Science Gateway Lidar/Radar Analysis in the Cloud" project through July 31, 2024. The goal of...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $141,811 Project Grant under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) federal grant program to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to install, commission, and operate a 26cm aperture cryogenic near-infrared telescope called the Cryoscope Pathfinder at Concordia Station in Antarctica. This prototype telescope is designed to demonstrate new technology for a future 1-meter class wide-field infrared survey telescope optimized...