NASA has selected 16 proposals from 12 companies under the 2022 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity (ACO) to advance capabilities and technologies related to NASA’s Moon to Mars Objectives. The cadre of U.S. industry-led teams will test a new lunar rover tire design, develop a robotically assembled power system, build an electrically actuated device to join in-space propellant transfer lines, and more.
Under unfunded Space Act Agreements, NASA will provide access to its unique facilities and technical expertise, allowing the agency to directly support continued development of promising technologies without the transfer of funds.
“By sharing our knowledge and facilities with U.S. companies, NASA helps mature capabilities that promise to benefit our objectives and the entire aerospace industry,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “These awards allow us to work with both small and large companies to advance some of the most crucial technologies for future exploration.”
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The selected proposals, grouped by company, and the respective partnering NASA centers are:
Aerojet Rocketdyne in El Segundo, California
- Fully Additively Manufactured LOX-LH2 Engine Demonstration – NASA Marshall
- Electrically Actuated Quick-Disconnect Coupling for Cislunar and Lunar Surface Cryogenic Propellant Transfer – NASA Marshall
Blue Origin in Kent, Washington
- Friction Stir Additive Manufacturing – NASA Langley and NASA Marshall
- Metallic Thermal Protection System – NASA Ames and NASA Langley
The Boeing Company in Arlington, Virginia
- Complex Curvature Retractable Pin Tool Friction Stir Welding Pathfinder Campaign – NASA Marshall
Canopy Aerospace in Denver
- Low-Cost Reusable Thermal Protection System Substrates as an Alternative to Alumina Enhanced Thermal Barrier – NASA Ames
Lockheed Martin Corporation in Bethesda, Maryland (three selections)
- Friction Stir Welded Blanks for Advanced Formed Shapes – NASA Langley
- In-Space Manufacturing Technologies for Thermoplastic Composites – NASA Glenn, NASA Goddard, NASA Langley, and NASA Marshall
- Oscillating Heat Pipe Technology for Aero Entry and Commercial Applications – NASA Ames and NASA Marshall
Maxar in Westminster, Colorado
- Automated Robotic Assembly of the Light Bender System – NASA Langley
Phase Four in El Segundo, California
- Development of an ASCENT (Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non-Toxic) Gas Feed System for the Phase Four RF (Radio Frequency) Thruster – NASA Marshall
Psionic, LLC in Hampton, Virginia
- Commercial Wind Measurement Constellation – NASA Langley
Roccor, LLC (Redwire) in Erie, Colorado
- Characterization of High Aspect Ratio Booms for Large Apertures – NASA Langle
SOURCE: PR Newswire