The awards to these small businesses, located across 34
states and Washington, D.C., total $105 million. NASA’s small business program
is dedicated to finding the most useful technologies for the agency and the
commercial marketplace, and sourcing those innovations from a diverse group of
entrepreneurs with different backgrounds and perspectives. The companies chosen
for Phase II funding include 33 women-owned, minority-owned, and veteran-owned
small businesses.
The awardees all received initial SBIR Phase I contracts in
2020 to demonstrate the merits of their innovations and show how they could
contribute to NASA’s efforts in human exploration, space technology, science,
and aeronautics. The Phase II awards will provide them each with up to $750,000
to advance their technologies toward potential commercialization. The companies
will spend up to two years developing, demonstrating, and delivering their
proposed projects.
“These small businesses received Phase I awards towards the
onset of the global pandemic and persevered through it to evolve promising
up-and-coming technology solutions,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator
for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “As the government
helps get small businesses back on track, we value their commitment and
dedication to supporting NASA missions and goals.”
InnoSys Inc., a woman-owned small business in Salt Lake
City, Utah, developed a concept for a camera that can operate in extremely high
temperatures – perhaps even on Venus where surface temperature can reach 900
degrees Fahrenheit. Its innovation replaces glass envelopes in conventional
imaging tubes with other materials, such as quartz or sapphire, that can
withstand harsh environments. Beyond space mission applications, the company
wants to create cameras for imaging fires or high-temperature furnaces up
close, and for inspecting nuclear reactor cores.
NASA aims to help small businesses like InnoSys focus on
commercialization. The program offers additional funding opportunities for
small businesses if their Phase II work proves successful, helping them find
customers outside the agency.
“The Phase II contract period is an exciting time, as small
businesses put their ideas into practice and develop prototypes attractive to
NASA and private investors,” said NASA SBIR Program Executive Jason L. Kessler.
“The selected technologies have displayed great potential impacts for their
respective sectors, and we are proud to continually invest in today’s booming
aerospace economy through these small businesses.”
California-based Micro Cooling Concepts has worked with
NASA’s SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program since 2004 on
various thermal management innovations. This year, NASA selected the company
for a Phase II contract to build a lightweight, compact heat exchanger with
possible electrified aircraft propulsion applications. Using the development
and lessons learned during Phase I, Micro Cooling Concepts will advance its
clean energy technology to potentially support new aircraft configurations for
NASA, the military, and the commercial sector.
Tietronix Software Inc., a minority-owned small business in
Houston, was selected to mature a virtual medical “expert” that incorporates
artificial intelligence and augmented reality. In working through its concept
during Phase I, Tietronix Software recognized the need to seamlessly integrate
medical resources, knowledge, training, procedural guidance, and diagnostic
support. The system could provide astronauts with medical autonomy during
extended missions and benefit the military or other organizations in places
where medical professionals have limited availability.
NASA previously announced $45 million in Phase I awards to
another group of small businesses in March 2021.
NASA’s SBIR/STTR program is part of STMD and managed by
NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.
To view the full list of the latest NASA SBIR Phase II
selections, visit:
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