NASA has selected more than 30 companies for early-stage technology development under its Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR, programs. The agency said Tuesday it awarded about $16.3 million in seed funding to support space-focused research and commercial applications.
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What Are the SBIR Ignite Phase I awards?
Fifteen firms from 10 states will each receive up to $150,000 to evaluate the feasibility of proposed technologies. The awards emphasize commercialization opportunities beyond NASA missions. Selected projects include bio-inspired robotic gripping materials for space developed by Nanoscale Labs of Austin, Texas, and a simulation toolkit for space welding processes from QuesTek Innovations of Evanston, Illinois.
What Are the STTR Phase II Awards?
NASA awarded 17 contracts valued at up to $850,000 each to small businesses partnered with research institutions to advance and demonstrate emerging technologies. ASTER Labs of Minnesota, working with the University of Alabama, is developing a system to track lightning storms from low Earth orbit. Tietronix Software of Houston, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, is building a portable monitoring platform that uses extended reality and artificial intelligence to support astronaut health.
How Do the Programs Support NASA’s Goals?
According to Jason Kessler, program executive for NASA’s SBIR/STTR program, the agency’s investment in early-stage innovation supports efforts tied to lunar missions, Mars exploration and broader applications on Earth. The selected projects include work in in-space manufacturing, propulsion systems, battery development and lunar landing technologies.
Earlier SBIR/STTR Investments
NASA has also sustained strong investment in small business innovation, awarding up to $850,000 each to nine firms under its SBIR Ignite Phase II pilot in August 2024 and allocating $44.85 million to more than 200 teams in June 2024, further supporting technologies for space missions and commercial use.
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