The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Non-toxic storable liquid propulsion systems are of great interest for use in future exploration missions. Efficient propulsive performance and long-duration storage attributes have made the use of hydrazine widespread across the aerospace community. However, hydrazine is highly corrosive and toxic, creating a need for non-toxic, high-performance propellants for NASA, other government agencies, academia, and the commercial space industry. Handling and safety concerns with the current toxic chemical propellants can lead to more costly propulsion systems; the use of new non-toxic propellants has the potential to reduce the cost of access to space by lowering overall life cycle costs. In this project, Ultramet will design and fabricate a lightweight, high temperature ceramic matrix composite (CMC) combustion chamber for use with the AF-M315 family of monopropellants, all of which have specific impulse values ranging from 263 to 288 sec and combustion temperatures up to 2300?C. The CMC combustion chamber material will be selected to offer the lightest possible weight, lowest cost, and highest performance available to reach the needs of the application, and will be fabricated using Ultramet's proven melt infiltration processing technology. Ultramet will work closely with a leading supplier of spacecraft propulsion systems that will provide chamber design and engineering guidance. Detailed analytical studies based on proven predictive analysis methods will be performed, and will be coupled with fabrication, optimization, and characterization of attractive CMC combustion chamber material options. The goal is to develop a CMC chamber design and fabrication process that will yield a thrust chamber that is hot-fire test-ready at the conclusion of the project. Hot-fire testing to demonstrate the survivability of the material system will be performed at the beginning of Phase II, which would also include long-duration life testing.","benefits":"Potential NASA applications include in-space reaction control propulsion, in-space primary propulsion, and launch vehicle reaction control propulsion at thrust levels ranging from 1 to 1000 lbf, as well as main engines and attitude control thrusters for payload ascent vehicles from the moon or Mars, interplanetary spacecraft, and Earth-orbiting satellites.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Non-toxic storable liquid propulsion systems are of great interest for use in future exploration missions. Efficient propulsive performance and long-duration storage attributes have made the use of hydrazine widespread across the aerospace community. However, hydrazine is highly corrosive and toxic, creating a need for non-toxic, high-performance propellants for NASA, other government agencies, academia, and the commercial space industry. Handling and safety concerns with the current toxic chemical propellants can lead to more costly propulsion systems; the use of new non-toxic propellants has the potential to reduce the cost of access to space by lowering overall life cycle costs. In this project, Ultramet will design and fabricate a lightweight, high temperature ceramic matrix composite (CMC) combustion chamber for use with the AF-M315 family of monopropellants, all of which have specific impulse values ranging from 263 to 288 sec and combustion temperatures up to 2300?C. The CMC combustion chamber material will be selected to offer the lightest possible weight, lowest cost, and highest performance available to reach the needs of the application, and will be fabricated using Ultramet's proven melt infiltration processing technology. Ultramet will work closely with a leading supplier of spacecraft propulsion systems that will provide chamber design and engineering guidance. Detailed analytical studies based on proven predictive analysis methods will be performed, and will be coupled with fabrication, optimization, and characterization of attractive CMC combustion chamber material options. The goal is to develop a CMC chamber design and fabrication process that will yield a thrust chamber that is hot-fire test-ready at the conclusion of the project. Hot-fire testing to demonstrate the survivability of the material system will be performed at the beginning of Phase II, which would also include long-duration life testing.","benefits":"Potential NASA applications include in-space reaction control propulsion, in-space primary propulsion, and launch vehicle reaction control propulsion at thrust levels ranging from 1 to 1000 lbf, as well as main engines and attitude control thrusters for payload ascent vehicles from the moon or Mars, interplanetary spacecraft, and Earth-orbiting satellites.