Partner with NASA SBIR Companies

Mango Materials & Colorado School of Mines

Mango Materials, a women-owned small business, has developed a system to transform methane into biopolymers—plastic alternatives made from biodegradable materials.

On Earth, this innovation not only creates a plastic substitute but also recycles methane—a greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. In space, this technology could support sustained presence on Mars by printing tools and providing a binding agent for regolith construction on the planet, reducing the need for shipments from Earth.

Spectral Energies

Spectral Energies is developing a pulse-burst laser system, a technology that helps test new designs for a space vehicles or commercial aircrafts. Researchers use wind tunnels — controlled environments that simulate the wearing conditions of being in the sky — when testing new designs. Spectral energies’ technology provides detailed video data of how wind moves around the new designs showing whether they are effective and safe.

This technology could cut millions of dollars from the approval of new commercial aircrafts, allowing new, faster, and cheaper planes to be available for passengers.

Oakwood University & SSS Optical Technologies

The innovative team composed of Oakwood University, SSS Optical Technologies, and subcontractor Regher Solar, is developing a UV protective coating for photovoltaic solar cells in space. Solar cells convert sunlight into energy but can suffer damage from UV rays.

Oakwood University, a Historically Black College based in Huntsville, Alabama, entered the SBIR/STTR arena after participating in M-STTR, now MPLAN, an initiative enabled by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP).

Techshot (acquired by Redwire)

Techshot, who obtained their first SBIR award in 1991, has been a trailblazing innovator in the realm of bioprinting — 3D printing with organic materials like cells. On Earth, the effects of gravity cause bio printed materials to sag and disform under their own weight. One solution is to give them structure is using non-organic materials, however these can harm the printed tissue. Techshot’s solution to keep gravity from deforming the tissues was to print them in space.

Through multiple NASA SBIR awards, Techshot developed a strong connection to NASA which allowed the firm to access the International Space Station (ISS). On 2019 they launched their innovations, the BioFabrication Facility (BFF) and the Advanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP), to the ISS. BFF and ADESEP have successfully completed knee meniscus tissue — which the human body has a hard time regenerating — and printed a large volume of human heart cells.