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<\/a><\/figure>New space technology ideas emerge every day from innovators across the country, and NASA\u2019s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program on Monday selected more than 100 projects for funding. This program offers small businesses in the United States early-stage funding and support to advance the agency\u2019s goals of exploring the unknown in air and space while returning benefits to Earth.<\/p>\n
Specifically, NASA\u2019s SBIR program<\/a> awarded $93.5 million in Phase II contracts to bring 107 new ideas<\/a> to life from 95 selected small businesses. Of these businesses, nearly 80% have less than 50 employees, and 21% are receiving their first Phase II award, valued at up to $850,000 each. Each small business was also eligible to apply for up to $50,000 in Technical and Business Assistance program<\/a> funding to help find new market opportunities and shape their commercialization roadmap.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled to support this diverse set of companies as they work diligently to bring their technologies to market,\u201d said Jenn Gustetic, director of Early Stage Innovation and Partnerships with NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency\u2019s headquarters in Washington. \u201cInclusive innovation is integral to mission success at NASA, and we\u2019re excited to see that 29% of the awardees are from underrepresented groups, including 11% women-owned businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n In Phase II, awardees will build on their success from the program\u2019s first phase to bring their technologies closer to real-world use. The companies have 24 months to execute their plans, which focus on their technologies\u2019 path to commercialization.<\/p>\n For example, NASA selected women-owned and first-time NASA Phase II awardee nou Systems, Inc. in Huntsville, Alabama, for its genetic testing instrument. While portable genetic sequencing already exists, field sequencing \u2013 that would allow DNA analysis anywhere on Earth or off planet \u2013 remains unfeasible as the preparation of the DNA Library remains an intensely manual process, needing a trained wet lab technician and several pieces of laboratory equipment. The Phase II technology takes advantage of several cross-enabling technologies, creating an instrument to automate the genetic sequencing process.<\/p>\n \u201cOur program works directly with small businesses to forge innovative concepts and technologies that drive impact for NASA projects as well as a myriad of commercial endeavors,\u201d said Jason L. Kessler, program executive for NASA\u2019s SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program at NASA Headquarters. \u201cThis collaboration results in realized opportunities not only for NASA but all of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n This includes technologies aiming to reduce astronaut workload and improve robotic scientific endeavors on the Moon and Mars. PickNik Inc. based in Boulder, Colorado, will use its Phase II award to continue developing a hardware-agnostic platform for supervised autonomy that empowers humans to command a remote robot to complete complex tasks with minimal input, which could support the Artemis program. Outside of NASA, PickNik\u2019s software product may be of interest to commercial space customers working on low Earth orbit destinations, in-space servicing, and more, as well as on Earth in areas like warehouse management, oil rig maintenance, and deep-sea exploration.\u00a0<\/p>\n The NASA SBIR program is open to U.S. small businesses to develop an innovation or technology. The program is part of STMD and managed by NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center in California\u2019s Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n To learn more about the NASA SBIR program, visit:<\/p>\n https:\/\/sbir.nasa.gov<\/a><\/p>\n -end-<\/p>\n Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
james.j.russell@nasa.gov<\/a>
202-358-1600<\/p>\nShare<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n