The micronization of spacecraft and satellite propulsion systems (size, weight, and power) will require an equivalent reduction in pulsed power unit (PPU) support hardware. There are scaling limitations in current solid-state PPUs in terms of sourcecurrent and response time. Recent advances in… More

Starfire Industries has identified a novel Hall thruster configuration with significant potential for higher thrust-to-power ratio, thrust-to-mass ratio and intrinsic efficiency compared to the current state-of-the-art. In this Phase I SBIR exploratory development, Starfire Industries will build… More

75105-Edge-localized modes in tokamak fusion reactors cause significant erosion of plasma-facing components, limiting device lifetime. Free-flowing liquid surfaces offer self-healing resistance to permanent physical damage, high heat removal capability, and potential advantageous hydrogen recycling… More

There is a growing demand for advanced space-based radar/sensor/imaging systems, ballistic missile defense and anti-satellite warfare capability in self-healing distributed infrastructure space networks. Miniaturization of sensor, communications and structural hardware has driven the industry,… More

The path towards high-power Hall thruster development lies in the fundamental understanding and modification of electron tranport processes within the plasma discharge channel. This development effort will build on the successes in phase I and focus on analytical and computational modeling leading… More

This Phase I SBIR will test the feasibility and viability of a Planar Hall Thruster (PHT) to enable high-power, modular thrusters with improved operating characteristics and lower lifecycle costs. Recent research suggests that conventional Hall thrusters may have limitations on efficiency and power… More

Lithium has been proposed as an attractive metal propellant for advanced nuclear-electric propulsion missions in the outer solar system. While it is low molecular weight for high Isp and had high conductivity for MPD acceleration, it is also corrosive to most metals, leeches elements from alloys,… More

Electromagnetic propulsion using compact toroidal plasmas is ideal for high-thrust, high-Isp missions since velocities and densities are not space charge limited, the self-field structure does not suffer magnetic detachment problems and the inductive electrode-less nature has superior lifetime. … More

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will address the technical and commercial feasibility of developing a dc-dc power processing unit with an electronically-adjustable step-up ratio (i.e. no moving parts) to achieve high conversion efficiencies (>94%) over a broad range of… More

Sealed-tube FNG sources have on-off capability and relatively small size; however, lifetime of these tubes at the desired output levels is short (a few hundred hours due to target degradation at high power), and thus have prohibitive operating cost. In order to become cost and mission effective,… More

Due to the proliferation of inexpensive nano-satellites, space situational awareness and object detection/negation are high priorities for protecting US space-borne assets. Starfire Industries is proposing a novel microwave plasma thruster employing electron cyclotron resonance techniques for… More

This Starfire Industries Phase I SBIR project specifically addresses the need to replace Am-Be sources for the well-logging industry and other applications where sealed radioactive sources are being used. Market factors inhibiting DT fusion neutron generators from replacing Am-Be sources are: (1)… More

Neutron Radiography (NR) is a non-destructive evaluation/non-destructive testing technique that is an ideal complement to current x-ray techniques because of differences in how neutrons interact with matter; providing superior contrast for imaging lightweight organic materials, especially adhesives,… More

Sealed-tube fusion neutron generator (FNG) sources have on-off capability and relatively small size suitable for small-footprint neutron radiography (NR) and non-destructive evaluation (NDE) systems; however, lifetime of these tubes at the desired output levels is short (a few hundred hours due to… More

Design, build, test and evaluate an engineering prototype neutron generator for Am-Be replacement that is to scale and function to simulate ruggedness and suitability for borehole applications. In Phase II, Starfire will develop the most difficult tool for design and evaluation, the 1-11/16” bore… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop an innovative microwave surface-wave plasma source for low-cost, large-area, high-throughput conformal thin-film growth. A scalable architecture will be designed to generate high-pressure, low-temperature, narrow-gap,… More

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will investigate the ability of prompt gamma neutron analysis (PGNA) techniques to provide in situ subsurface (0-48 inches) localized (

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project aims to develop a Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) system for the deposition of silicon layers for a solar cell to absorb sunlight and convert to electricity. Current PECVD processes face challenges that limit the… More

The integrated NASA/DoD electric propulsion objectives are for a specific mass less than 3 kg/kW while demonstrating a throttlable thrust-to-power ratio of 100:1 at a specific impulse of 1,000 sec down to 40:1 at 4,000 sec with an operational lifetime exceeding 20,000 hours. Modern Hall-effect… More

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project will investigate no-power sensors to enable self-protection mechanisms to prevent an adversary from accessing or reverse engineering sensitive military electronics containing critical program information (CPI). Due to the wide number of threat… More

This SBIR project will fabricate and characterize no-power sensors to enable self-protection mechanisms to prevent an adversary from accessing or reverse-engineering sensitive military electronics containing critical program information (CPI). Due to the wide number of threat channels and intrusion… More