Portable Major and Trace Constituent Gas Analyzer for Habitable Environments

This proposal will use high sensitivity charge detectors developed for NASA mass spec in planetary science missions to develop miniaturized mass spec systems for environmental monitoring. NASA uses a mass spectrometer onboard the ISS to monitor the major constituents and trace gasses in the atmosphere, but it is a large system. At the same time NASA uses handheld chemical sensors to monitor specific gasses like oxygen and carbon dioxide. The portable system under development in this proposal will allow the analytical power and sensitivity of a mass spec system while being portable. These will be designed for use in habitable and built environments in space and on lunar missions. Major constituents of the atmosphere are important to measure for health and safety. Trace gas components can also indicate dangerous conditions. The aim is to provide astronauts and NASA with better monitoring systems for gas composition in their environment. Right now the mass spec system takes significant time to service and operate, and an astronaut’s time is scarce and incredibly valuable. The instruments will serve a dual purpose as monitoring equipment for biological and other science experiments where trace gas composition is a variable of interest. Monitoring the atmosphere is an important component of biological experiments as well. Plant or other living organisms modify the atmosphere around them as they grow, and this is often important experimental information. These instruments would be ideal for moving to an experiment as needed to monitor the atmosphere over time. Portable mass spec instruments have a strong dual use case. Air quality monitoring outside and inside of industrial facilities such as chemical plants and refineries is mandated by EPA regulations. Less sensitive portable mass spec instruments are already in use for detection of hazardous substances like drugs and explosives.

The Space Technology Mission Directorate conducted a survey on civil space technology shortfalls. Environmental Monitoring was the highest civil space shortfall technology in the area of Advance Habitation Systems, and the 7th highest shortfall technology overall. Thriving in Space: Ensuring the Future of Biological and Physical Sciences Research: A Decadal Survey for 2023-2032 has a variety of research areas that require environmental monitoring. The most prominent is Artemis missions. For the first time in decades humans will return to the moon. This will entail new ships and new lunar bases, all of which will need monitoring systems. With more permanent lunar bases comes experiments, especially in biology and human health. This technology will offer smaller, lower SWaP mass spectrometers that perform environmental monitoring wherever needed. This would be especially useful in places like rovers or other moving or temporary habitats, shuttles or landers that must be as light as possible to move astronauts and equipment, and in bases themselves. In a shuttle or lander, the monitor would be able to detect things like combustion products, volatile organic compounds or problematic vapors if the air filtration system were malfunctioning. Biological experimental monitoring is an important capability of a portable mass spec system. Living organisms modify their local environment, intentionally or unintentionally, and these changes can be measured by the chemical composition of the air. Stresses can be revealed through trace compounds such as metabolism byproducts or signalling molecules. Our proposed advanced portable mass spectrometer (MS) addresses a critical need for highly sensitive, trace-level detection of air contaminants. Existing portable devices (e.g., GCs and limited MS products from 908 Devices) often face constraints related to detection limits, pumping requirements, or extensive sample preparation. By providing robust performance in a smaller, more user-friendly form factor, our innovation opens new possibilities in environmental monitoring and beyond. Market Opportunity and Economic Benefits The global market for air quality monitoring equipment is projected to exceed USD 9 billion by 2030, driven by heightened regulatory standards and corporate sustainability initiatives. Within this market, the fence line monitoring segment alone is estimated to be a USD 400–500 million annual opportunity, spurred by stricter EPA regulations on industrial emissions. By delivering real-time results and eliminating the need for off-site lab analysis, our technology can reduce operational costs and downtime. This enables faster corrective action for emissions exceedances or safety hazards, significantly impacting the bottom line of industrial users. Beyond fence line monitoring, the system can address indoor air quality in hospitals, cleanrooms, and other controlled environments, as well as serve first responders and space/aviation applications—expanding the total addressable market further. Customers and Go-to-Market Strategy Large industrial facilities subject to regulatory mandates (e.g., petrochemical plants, refineries) will be early adopters, as they require high-sensitivity monitoring for compliance and safety. Contract testing labs and environmental agencies also represent strong, steady demand. Industrial manufacturers monitoring process conditions would also benefit from Guardion instruments to get detailed information on manufacturing conditions.

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.