NASA Boosts Over 200 Space Sector Small Business With $45 Million Funding

NASA has announced its plans to fund more than 200 small businesses in the space sector.

The funding, totaling $45 million, will be used to develop new technologies that safeguard astronauts' health, minimize the risk of collision damage to spacecraft, and support future NASA missions.

NASA will provide first-round funding of $150,000 to each of the proposal teams.

Serving Small Businesses, Research Institutions

This investment is part of NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, which seeks to nurture innovation within the American small business and research institution community.

The selection process involved the evaluation of 300 proposals submitted by 249 small businesses and 39 research institutions, including eight Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).

Phase I SBIR contracts will last for six months, while Phase I STTR contracts, awarded to small businesses collaborating with research institutions, will last for 13 months.

Pushing the Aerospace Industry

Jenn Gustetic, the director of early-stage innovation and partnerships for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD), emphasized NASA's role in fostering growth in the aerospace industry.

She stated, "Through these early-stage small business awards, we are inviting more innovators into this growing arena and helping them mature their technologies for not only NASA's use but for commercial impact."

Notably, approximately 30% of the companies selected as SBIR/STTR recipients are new to receiving NASA funding. One such company is nou Systems, Inc., a woman-owned small business.

nou Systems aims to develop technology that automates the monitoring of microbial activity in spacecraft environments, addressing a crucial aspect of astronaut health.

The company's proposed solution involves automating DNA monitoring to identify potentially harmful microbes swiftly. This innovation could first be implemented as part of the International Space Station's biological testing equipment.

Diversity and Innovation

Gynelle Steele, the deputy program executive for NASA's SBIR/STTR program, expressed pride in collaborating with small businesses and research institutions needing government investment.

Steele noted that the program allows NASA to support groundbreaking ideas from diverse innovators nationwide that may not initially attract private industry funding.

More than a quarter of the selected companies are owned by women, veterans, disadvantaged individuals, or are HUBzone small businesses.

For instance, HyBird Space Systems LLC, a veteran-owned company based in Spanaway, Washington, was awarded an SBIR contract.

HyBird Space Systems aims to assist NASA in mitigating the risk of damage to spaceflight programs caused by orbital debris. Their retrobraking propulsion system, RT-5X, will initially focus on deorbiting spacecraft in low Earth orbit.

The company hopes its technology will provide a low-cost, preventive debris solution with controlled re-entry, benefiting small satellite developers and other stakeholders.

Supporting the Space Sector

These grants incentivize partnerships between MSIs and small businesses and foster mutually beneficial relationships that result in technologies supporting NASA's mission and commercial market development.

Government spending on space programs reached $103 billion in 2022, an increase of over 11.5 percent over the previous year.

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