Project Grant NNX12AK67G

This $425,444 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (CFDA 47.075) program funds a study on the relationship between commercial satellite launching and underrepresented minority communities. The University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) is the prime awardee, and they have planned subawards to the University of Denver. The key products and services to be delivered through this award include: Ethnographic research,...

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 National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project, funded through the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program (CFDA 47.084), aims to extend the range of on-hand wireless communications devices to austere and remote environments. The $246,858 award to Set Point Solutions LLC, a HUBZone certified small business, will enable the development of the Propeller-enabled Projectile Assisted Repeater/Relay of Transmissions (PARROT) technology....

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...

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...

This Project Grant award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program supports the development of a novel Controlled Altitude Ballooning (CAB) platform by Space Balloon Technologies Corp, doing business as Spaceloon. The goal is to create a market-ready operational system capable of performing bi-directional sampling across the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere, enabling new climate observing and monitoring capabilities...

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 Chascii Inc., a minority-owned small disadvantaged business, a $274,548 Project Grant under the NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program. The grant supports the development of a novel small satellite with embedded optical communications systems. The project aims to deploy a commercial space platform in cislunar and deep space to provide fast connectivity, navigation, and positioning services to space users. Key features...

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...

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) awarded a $174,700 Project Grant under the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program (CFDA 43.012 - Space Technology) to Thinkorbital Inc., a small for-profit aerospace research and development company based in Boulder, Colorado. The grant, awarded on January 16, 2025, with a completion date of January 15, 2026, supports an early-stage feasibility study of a visionary aerospace concept that could significantly enhance or enable...