Hart Scientific Consulting International L.L.C.

Hart Scientific Consulting International L.L.C., doing business as Hartsci, is a small business subchapter S corporation specializing in optical engineering and software development for improving high-resolution imagery from ground-based platforms. Registered with the federal government since 2008, Hartsci designs and builds adaptive optics systems, laser guide stars, atmospheric turbulence sensors, and related software primarily for the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. The company's expertise lies in advancing technologies for ground-based space domain awareness, enhancing optical and infrared imaging capabilities, and developing sophisticated atmospheric turbulence simulation and compensation systems. Hartsci has been awarded numerous prime federal contracts and grants, as well as subcontracts, demonstrating its significant role in advancing cutting-edge optical technologies for defense and scientific applications.

Hartsci has been awarded multiple prime contracts, predominantly from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Army Materiel Command, under Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. These contracts fund research, development, prototype construction, and testing of advanced optical systems. Notable projects include the development of passive aircraft avoidance through EO/IR imaging ($1,898,279), high-sensitivity imaging for faint source detection ($983,400), laser-guided wavefront compensation systems ($1,898,602), and bench-level laser guide star source and atmospheric turbulence simulators ($1,249,899). The company has also worked on dynamic Hartmann turbulence sensor processing ($259,511) and polarized hyper-temporal imaging for space situational awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance applications ($309,959). Many of these contracts are set aside for small businesses, with award values ranging from approximately $150,000 for Phase I SBIR/STTR projects to nearly $2 million for Phase II efforts. Hartsci has also received subcontracts from prime contractors such as EO Solutions Corp and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, further demonstrating its specialized capabilities in optical research and development.

In the realm of federal grants, Hartsci has received at least one prime award from the Department of Energy's Office of Science. This project grant, awarded in February 2021 for $199,800, funded research on "Hybrid Interferometric and Deflectometric Stitching and Data Reconstruction for X-Ray Mirrors." This grant demonstrates Hartsci's capabilities in advanced optics, interferometry, and data reconstruction techniques for cutting-edge imaging applications, particularly in the field of x-ray optics. While the company's federal grant portfolio appears more limited compared to its contract work, this award highlights Hartsci's ability to contribute to fundamental scientific research in addition to its more applied defense-oriented projects. The grant work complements Hartsci's contract portfolio by extending its expertise into civilian scientific applications, showcasing the company's versatility in optical engineering across various domains.