Electrochemical Power Plant for Terrestrial Flight Platforms, Phase I

An electrochemical power plant is proposed by MicroCell Technologies to provide power to terrestrial flight platforms. Our power plant is based upon a proton exchange membrane fuel cell that is coupled with a hydrogen fuel supply cartridge that will provide readily scalable power levels up to 1 kW of power at 24 VDC. The hydrogen supply cartridge may be readily exchanged between missions helping to shorten the turn-around time for the flight vehicle. The design of the fuel cell power plant is based upon using hydrogen and ambient air that will operate over varying temperatures, humidity, and altitude to provide reliable power to the air vehicle. During the phase I program, we will demonstrate the feasibility of our power plant operating at a lower module wattage near 50 watts with an integrated fuel supply that will last for 12 hours. A phase II program will develop and deliver a 1000 W, 24VDC power plant that may operate for up to 12 hours.

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.