NASA SBIR Ignite Catalyst - Space - Low Earth Orbit Economies (4 segments)

Enabling Deep Tech/Driven Dual Use Companies to Scale

NASA has launched a new SBIR program that promises to provide continuous funding at development milestones. It's called SBIR Ignite!

SBIR Ignite is a new way for small businesses that have a commercially-viable technology idea (TRL 4+) to use NASA as a stepping stone in their path towards commercial success.

The program includes community/ecosystem building and an acceleration component called the SBIR Ignite Catalyst Program in advance of the release of the solicitation. The SBIR Ignite Catalyst Program is designed to help founders at any stage learn more about and prepare to apply for SBIR Ignite funding. This call for applications is for you to participate where you will get paired with and build relationships with relevant investors, NASA SMEs, other relevant government funders, about your invention/product/company vision.

All applicants (who can attend in person or virtually) can join general admission sessions, including expert panel discussions and networking events.

Ten applicants at each event will be selected to talk about their technology one-on-one at the event with NASA subject matter experts, venture investors, government officials, regulatory experts, and communications and marketing strategists.

Low Earth Orbit Economies
Areas of Interest - You Must Indicate One. Each Area is Broad. You may denote what other area your proposal could support, but one should be primary.

A. LEO Destinations
Creating a robust LEO economy will be dependent on bringing many new businesses and people into space and will require the development of enabling technologies for this emerging LEO economy. We want to be able to

1) Decrease Transportation Costs
2) Increasing Launch and Re-Entry Transportation Frequency
3) Decreasing life-cycle costs for habitable environmental systems (space stations, etc)

B. (Moon) Mining and Materials for the Moon
What mining and mineral processing technologies that can be adapted to mining on the moon? Mass, power, and extreme environmental conditions (temperatures, radiation, gravity) are major constraints. Top priorities are for technology that can reduce the mass of raw material (ore) transported from mine to processor; develop an economically feasible way to extract silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) from anorthite; long lived substitutes for carbon-rich electrodes for process metallurgy.

C Inspace Manufacturing (of semiconductors)
How Might We enable semiconductor production in Low Earth Orbit? There are unique benefits of the microgravity to chip development. What are they? Can you help? There is a strong need for services enabling semiconductor manufacturing in space, including but not limited to: transport of specialty equipment, multi-use facilities that can be deployed in LEO, and services for monitoring semiconductor manufacturing quality and maintenance needs.

D. Active Debris Removal
We all are more cognizant of orbital debris that poses a risk in space. We are looking for low-cost services to perform controlled reentry of very large debris- end to end capabilities that can scale, reusable spacecraft/propulsion for controlled re-entry, systems that enable the de-tumbling/positive control of large objects with uncertain dynamical properties.

More Information at www.h4xlabs.com

References:
https://www.nasa.gov/leo-economy/commercial-destinations-in-low-earth-orbit
In space manufacturing: https://www.nasa.gov/oem/inspacemanufacturing

More Information at https://www.h4xlabs.com/sbirignitecatalyst and https://sbir.nasa.gov/ignite.
If you have further questions or inquiries reach out to h4xlabs@bmnt.com.