Swift Ultra Long Endurance (SULE) Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV)

Swift Engineering Inc is proposing to fly its HALEX aircraft with various NASA payloads in a Phase IIE program to study radiation, its effects on biological samples, and collect radiation modeling data. Teams from multiple NASA Centers have outlined a program where the principal objective is to reduce the uncertainty in radiation dose received by biological samples in space. Variations in local shielding inside a spacecraft can lead to significant differences in dose. For the Space Shuttle differences of up to a factor of 2 were observed across the payload bay. For the much larger and more complex architecture of the ISS the variations in dose could be even greater. Thus, the radiation dose received by biological samples cannot be fully characterized by area dosimeters. The major objective of this integrated payload is a proof of principle of integrating a radiation dosimeter with future space biological payloads (e.g. ISS, Artemis, Gateway, lunar surface and beyond.) Due to the passive nature of the experiment, the constraints on payload volume and mass and the lack of environmental controls in the payload container, several types of organisms in biological stasis are being considered. Swift Engineering will additionally study EO/IR surveillance and communication payloads within the Phase II-E framework to highlight additional benefits to over 50 use cases identified.

This effort will advance several NASA objectives: HEOMD SLPSRA Space Biology and HRP, SMD Planetary Protection Program, Aeronautics, and Outreach. The ability to address uncertainty in radiation dose in space is directly relevant to future space biological payloads elsewhere (e.g. ISS, Artemis, Gateway, lunar surface and beyond). Swift has identified over 50 mission sets and three major discriminators in areas where our HALE platform uniquely provides both cost and technical competitive advantages with NASA.

Swift has engaged discussions with multiple DoD and other Gov. agencies focused on some of the following and more mission sets: persistent real-time ISR, tele-communications, disaster relief, FAA/ATM, pseudo satellite subsystem testing, fire-fighting activities, mapping thermal and organic fuels properties, and surveying geographical changes across land and water on Earth.

This is a mature technology (TRL 8) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.