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Biomass Automated Technology Harvester
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Description
Proposal will develop an automated biomass harvester to collect and process algae as a valuable Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLiSS) and biomanufacturing feedstock. Establish an effective and efficient method for harvesting microalgae biomass in space.
Benefits
An automated biomass harvester has direct benefits to the bioeconomy of the United States (U.S.). This provides a future opportunity for BATH to be scaled-up and integrated into the bioeconomy as a large-scale automated biomass harvester.
Details
| Technology area | Human Health, Life Support, and Habitation Systems |
| Program | Agency Independent Research and Development (A-IRAD) |
| Lead organization | Kennedy Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, FL |
| Start date | 2025-11-01 |
| End date | 2026-09-30 |
Project contacts
Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.
How to get involved
This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — 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.