NASA Small Business Automation | Space Technology

NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research Program: Recent Awards

The NASA SBIR program consistently allocates funding to innovative small businesses and research initiatives, and reviewing the lists of recipients consistently yields interesting insights. This article highlights a dozen companies and project proposals from the latest round of awards that are particularly noteworthy or indicate emerging trends in space missions and industry.

Often, these concise descriptions represent the entirety of publicly available information. Many projects are in their initial phases, existing primarily as equations and preliminary sketches – yet NASA demonstrates a keen ability to identify promising work. (Further details regarding SBIR grant applications can be found here.)

Autonomous Deorbiting System

Martian Sky Technologies has earned recognition with the acronym DEORBIT, standing for Decluttering of Earth Orbit to Repurpose for Bespoke Innovative Technologies. This initiative focuses on developing an autonomous system for removing debris from low Earth orbit. The system is designed to monitor a specified area and eliminate any intruding objects, thereby clearing space for construction or the operation of other spacecraft.

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Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing

Numerous proposals address various forms of 3D printing, welding, and related processes crucial to the developing field of On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (OSAM). One particularly intriguing proposal utilizes ultrasonics, a surprising approach given the absence of an atmosphere in space for ultrasonic waves to propagate. However, this unconventional thinking could potentially unlock a novel manufacturing method.

Robots Supporting Each Other

Performing OSAM tasks will likely necessitate the coordination of multiple robotic platforms, a challenge even in terrestrial environments. TRAClabs is investigating a method to “enhance perceptual feedback and decrease the cognitive load on operators” by autonomously repositioning inactive robots to vantage points offering useful perspectives of ongoing operations. This approach mirrors human work habits – individuals not directly involved in a task instinctively move to observe and assist.

3D Printed Hall Effect Thrusters

Hall effect thrusters represent a highly efficient form of electric propulsion, potentially valuable for specific in-space maneuvering applications. However, their power output is limited, and current manufacturing techniques appear insufficient for constructing larger units. Elementum 3D aims to overcome this limitation by developing a new additive manufacturing process and a cobalt-iron material that will enable the production of thrusters of any desired size.

Batteries for the Venusian Environment

Venus presents an exceptionally harsh environment for machinery designed on Earth. Even robust Mars rovers, such as Perseverance, would quickly fail in the planet’s 800°F heat. A significant failure point would be the overheating and potential explosion of conventional batteries. TalosTech and the University of Delaware are exploring an unconventional battery type that could operate at high temperatures by utilizing atmospheric CO2 as a reactant.

Neuromorphic Low-SWaP Radio

In space applications, minimizing size, weight, and power consumption (low-SWaP) is paramount. Consequently, there’s a continuous effort to replace legacy systems with more efficient alternatives. Intellisense is addressing a portion of the radio stack, employing neuromorphic computing – inspired by the human brain, but not in a science fiction context – to streamline and reduce the complexity of signal sorting and direction.

Enhancing Space Safety with Lidar

Astrobotic is increasingly recognized as a key player in upcoming NASA interplanetary missions. Its research division is exploring ways to enhance the intelligence and safety of both spacecraft and surface vehicles, like rovers, using lidar technology. One proposal focuses on a lidar system designed to image individual small objects in sparse environments, such as assessing and repairing another satellite. A second proposal applies deep learning techniques to lidar and conventional imagery to identify obstacles on planetary surfaces. The team is also currently developing the VIPER water-hunting rover, scheduled for a 2023 lunar landing.

Monitoring In-Space Agriculture

Bloomfield specializes in automated agricultural monitoring, but cultivating plants in orbit or on the Martian surface differs significantly from terrestrial farming. The company intends to expand into Controlled Environment Agriculture, encompassing the experimental farms used to study plant growth under unusual conditions like microgravity. They propose utilizing multispectral imaging and deep learning analysis to continuously monitor plant health, reducing the need for astronauts to manually record growth data.

Lunar Regolith Bricks

The Artemis program aims for a sustained presence on the Moon, but establishing a permanent lunar base presents challenges. Researchers are investigating methods for refueling and launching rockets from the lunar surface without transporting all necessary resources from Earth. Exploration Architecture proposes an integrated system that transforms lunar dust, or regolith, into bricks for constructing a lunar launchpad. Utilizing Earth-made bricks is considered impractical.

Numerous other companies and research institutions also submitted proposals related to regolith construction and handling. This theme, along with others, proved prevalent, though some are too specialized for detailed discussion here.

Another recurring theme involved technologies for exploring icy worlds like Europa. These environments, contrasting with Venus, pose unique challenges to conventional rovers and necessitate alternative approaches to power, sensing, and mobility.

NASA is also embracing the concept of swarms, encompassing both satellite and aircraft formations. Managing these swarms requires significant effort, and achieving coordinated behavior as a distributed machine necessitates a robust underlying computing architecture. Several companies are actively researching solutions to this challenge.

A comprehensive list of NASA’s latest SBIR grants and technology transfer program selections is available on the dedicated website here. Individuals interested in applying for federal funding are encouraged to explore the resources provided below.