TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Passive Porous Tube Nutrient Delivery System (KSC-TOPS-73)
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- T2P-KSC-00060
- Agency
-
Marshall Space Flight Center
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 927110 Space Research and Technology
- PSC
- 9999 Miscellaneous Items
- Points of contact
-
- NASA's Technology Transfer Program agency-patent-licensing@mail.nasa.gov
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has issued a special notice for a technology transfer licensing opportunity involving a Passive Porous Tube Nutrient Delivery System (KSC-TOPS-73). This civilian space agency is seeking companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture, and market this innovative plant growth technology originally developed for space applications. The technology addresses the significant challenge of delivering adequate air, water, and nutrients to plant roots in microgravity environments where normal convection processes are altered. The system represents an advancement over current methods used on the International Space Station, which require manual astronaut intervention and careful calibration to prevent over- or under-watering that could inhibit plant growth.
The primary purpose of this special notice is to solicit inquiries from companies interested in licensing this NASA-developed technology for commercial applications. Interested parties must submit license applications through NASA's Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting the specified NASA technology portal, with a deadline of July 17, 2026. License rights may be issued on either an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use, though NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses. Companies seeking additional information are directed to contact NASA's Technology Transfer Program via email, referencing the specific technology opportunity title and providing their preferred contact information. This opportunity falls under NASA's broader Technology Transfer Program, which facilitates the commercialization of space-developed technologies for terrestrial applications, with no apparent restrictions on contractor eligibility beyond the standard licensing application process.
Notice text
NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses.
THE TECHNOLOGY:
A primary challenge to growing plants in microgravity is the delivery of adequate air, water and nutrients to a plant's roots. Microgravity alters convection and thus the behavior of root zone aeration which plants are evolutionarily reliant upon to grow. Current nutrient delivery techniques proposed for space involve the use of a medium for the roots to penetrate, such as arcilite, and power or frequent astronaut intervention is typically required to actively pump water to the roots. When water is actively pumped to the roots, the user must carefully calibrate the amount of water and nutrients being pumped in order to prevent over- or under watering that could inhibit plant growth. The current watering technique on the International Space Station using the Vegetable Production System (Veggie) frequently requires astronauts to manually pump water into the pillows with a syringe to sustain the plants.
To express interest in this licensing opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/KSC-TOPS-73
If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/.
These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.
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