Wirelessly Activated Remote DAQ for Space (WARDS)

IC2 proposes to develop a battery-operated, ultra-low power, small form factor wireless data-acquisition (DAQ) system which has been appropriately hardened for use in spacecraft and other space systems. This system will support a variety of different sensor types and include the ability to remain dormant for at least two years while also remaining capable of rapid activation on demand. Once activated, the system will continually acquire sensor data for at least 30 days. The proposed system utilizes a distributed wireless sensor network to mitigate the challenges related to sensor installation, including technological, logistical, weight, and cost barriers. Because the proposed system uses wireless communication, it provides the end-user with the ability to deploy more sensors due to a relaxation of cable routing and weight requirements. Limiting the cable routing requirements reduces installation effort over current systems and provides for substantially more flexible sensor placement options. The primary target application for the system is instrumentation for spacecraft and other space systems, while other applications requiring environmentally hardened ultra-low power wireless instrumentation could also be supported by the system’s capabilities. Funding will be used to further establish target specifications and requirements based on NASA input and design constraints, enhance and environmentally harden the Phase I prototype, characterize the results, and perform a system-level deployment at an application-specific site.

This proposal addresses providing smaller, lighter, more flexible instrumentation systems for NASA through replacing cabling and associated hardware with wireless technologies. The importance of transitioning NASA to wireless instrumentation systems has been highlighted in the NASA SBIR 2024 Phase I Solicitation ("the mass of cable harnesses ... can be a significant percentage of the overall mass of the sensor system ... greater than 50% in some cases"), the 2020 NASA Technology Taxonomy ("reducing overall system mass and permitting easier reconfiguration"), and the NASA 2017 Engineering Directorate Overview ("wireless sensors can save significant vehicle mass"). NASA is searching for battery-powered wireless instrumentation systems which can support extended spaceflight. Such systems should be able to remain in a very low power, dormant state for years on end while also retaining the capability to be instantly awakened for data acquisition. That is exactly what IC2's proposed system seeks to accomplish for NASA. The proposed ultra-low power wireless instrumentation technology has the potential to be implemented across a wide array of sectors. In addition to advancing instrumentation capabilities for spacecraft and other space systems, the proposed technology is also applicable to the types of technological solutions sought for industrial, agricultural, nuclear monitoring, and other sectors.

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.