On-orbit Reducer of Contamination Apparatus (ORCA) (ORCA)

NewBridge Partners proposed innovative solution, on-orbit reducer of contamination apparatus (ORCA), provides a straightforward, highly reliable mechanism for precision cleaning of spacecraft surfaces once in orbit. Controlling molecular contaminants minimizes performance degradation caused by the deposition of molecular contaminants on mirrors, optical sensors and critical surfaces. For space optical sensors, contamination effects include transmission reduction, off-axis radiation scattering due to particle clouds, and an increase in mirror scattering. Minimizing contamination plays a critical role in maintaining performance and reliability as well as improving the cost-effectiveness of mission results. Data has shown that there is significant contamination post thermal-vacuum testing through launch and on-orbit operations, which necessitates the importance of doing this in orbit. The innovation possesses all the attributes necessary for ready adoption in space, once validated. It is inherently space-qualified with ultra-high reliability. ORCA combines proven high-performance contamination control methods with a high reliability space mechanism in a new and innovative manner. Although it presents an obvious single point of failure in space, its design is no different from other deployment mechanisms that also inherently feature single point failures. We believe a straightforward qualification effort could be undertaken to ensure successful use in space for the most demanding missions. The flexible design and low cost of this approach make it suitable for a wide range of applications.

The NewBridge ORCA supports any mission requiring mitigation of microbial, particulate, and molecular (including water vapor) contamination sources. This can be a mission enabler supporting NASA's ability to produce pathbreaking science, ensuring nominal hardware operations (especially for optics applications). High-resolution space optical sensors are essential for many of NASA missions, including image collection of far-off celestial bodies, investigation of exoplanets, and support to the upcoming lunar and Martian missions. As space exploration accelerates, the demand for advanced imaging systems capable of withstanding harsh environments continues to grow. Future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond will rely on cutting-edge optical sensors to produce important scientific data, highlighting the ongoing innovation in space imaging technologies. The ability to control contamination on-orbit for these advanced optical sensors is a critical enabler to meet the high-performance demands. The method also applies for planetary protection requirements where the prevention of forward contamination (the transfer of viable organisms from Earth to another planetary body) and backward contamination (the transfer of material from another planetary body that may pose a biological threat to Earth’s biosphere). The scalable nature of the design means it can be applied to both small space vehicles and large astronomical telescopes. Any program that can benefit from ultra-low on-orbit contamination, including numerous optical telescopes and cameras, qualifies as a candidate for this innovation. Given the high precision, likely customers for this product include various organizations within the United States Government, such as the USSF, SDA, DARPA, and Intelligence Communities, along with the traditional commercial space providers involved in space sensors that demand precision optics and mechanisms. There is also an explosion of interest in the cislunar region by private companies. Areas such as robotic missions, resource extraction and utilization, communications, navigation, power systems, science and technology R&D, and data storage are all fertile topics where contamination in space plays a significant role and ORCA is applicable. If our approach performs as anticipated, the potential range of applications for this technology is vast.

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.