NASA Solicitation: Game Changing Opportunities: Miniaturized Electrospray Propulsion – Smallsat Propulsion System
GAME CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES IN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 2012 APPENDIX D TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT FOR MINIATURIZED ELECTROSPRAY PROPULSION SUPPORT OF SMALL SATELLITE PROPULSION SYSTEM
Award – Nov 06, 2013
General Information
NAIS Posted Date: Nov 06, 2013
FedBizOpps Posted Date: Nov 06, 2013
Noncompetitive Action: No
Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No
Contract Award Date: Sep 27, 2013
Contract Award Number: NNL13AA12C
Solicitation Number: NNL12A3001N-001
Contract Award Amount: 1458160.00
Contract Line Item Number: 001 and 002
Contractor: Massachusetts Institute of Technology,77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
Contractor DUNS Number: 001425594
Classification Code: A — Research and Development
NAICS Code: 541712 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
Contracting Office Address
NASA/Langley Research Center, Mail Stop 12, Industry Assistance Office, Hampton, VA 23681-0001
Description
The scope of this requirement is for the advance development for an Electric Propulsion (EP)System, which is recognized as an efficient means of providing thrust to spacecraft. Recent technical advances have made EP systems a common mode for orbit maintenance and spacecraft attitude control for larger spacecraft. Successes in orbit-raising have encouraged NASA mission designers to consider high power Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology mature enough to design long distance human exploration missions predicated on its use. While these technology developments have been occurring at the macro scale thruster level, advances have also been made with thruster technology on a much smaller scale.
It is envisioned that EP based micro-thrusters can be used for small satellite propulsion, as well as fine attitude control for large satellites that require extreme pointing control such as space telescopes. One class of micro-thrusters, electrospray micro thrusters, seems particularly promising in meeting the needs for both small spacecraft propulsion and fine attitude control of large spacecraft. Furthermore, scaled up versions of electrospray micro-thrusters may one day be able to provide thrust equivalent to the Hall and Ion EP technologies now in use.
Fully developed, electrospray micro-thruster technologies have the potential to result in a complete re-design of the power and propulsion requirements for a SEP class mission. The need for these micro thruster technologies has been captured within the relevant NASA Space Technology Roadmap (TA-02: In-Space Propulsion Technologies) and general EP technologies were called out in the recent National Research Council recommendations to NASA.
Point of Contact
Name: David O Garner
Title: Contract Specialist/Contracting Officer
Phone: 757-864-2784 Fax: 757-864-7898 Email: David.O.Garner@nasa.gov
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