SBIR Phase I: Electromechanical Mass Transfer System for Space Operations

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将是推进一种新型的空间物流机电平台，以促进月球表面和其他低重力环境下的经济发展、技术和科学进步。在其他天体（如火星）上，该平台同样可以用于以最小的环绕基础设施投资实现早期勘探和开发。SBIR项目的主题是机电传质系统；这将是第一个这样的创新，使低重力环境下利用离心加速度具有成本效益的传质。该平台可以在不使用消耗性燃料或机载推进系统的情况下通过空间移动资源，从而实现更具成本效益的空间操作。该项目的成功实施将使平台的TRL迅速上升。全面的测试和验证过程将向潜在客户和利益相关者展示我们的技术能力，提供其可靠性，准确性和效率的切实证据。该平台的成功开发可以为月球表面的强大探索、科学和经济发展提供所需的机动性。由于其低质量和即插即用功能，该平台将比其他替代方案更经济。最终，该系统的目标是提供最便宜、最全面的物流服务，促进前景广阔的月球市场。SBIR第一阶段项目将通过一种新型机电“投掷”平台解决与在月球表面运输资源相关的技术挑战。该平台利用机电系统在月球表面投掷有效载荷，为月球表面后勤和其他天基机动问题提供了创新的解决方案。拟议研发的目标包括开发一个可靠、准确和节能的原型，并在地球上展示其可行性和能力。月球操作是复杂和昂贵的，有了新技术，如提议的平台，客户和其他利益相关者将寻求保证平台既可重复又准确。系统的磨损、不同的环境影响（如月球重力的变化）以及内置系统的不准确性（如释放角度和速度的误差带）都可能导致故障，从而使客户面临风险。这项工作的目的是通过特定的硬件改进来证明该平台可以安全且可重复地在月球表面部署资产。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will be to advance a novel electromechanical platform for in-space logistics to facilitate economic development, technical and scientific advancement on the lunar surface, and in other low gravity environments. On other celestial bodies (e.g. Mars), this platform can similarly be utilized to enable early exploration and development with minimal wraparound infrastructure investments. The subject of the SBIR project is an electromechanical mass transfer system; this will be the first such innovation that enables a cost-effective mass transfer in low gravity environments leveraging centrifugal acceleration. This platform can enable the movement of resources through space without the use of consumable fuels or on-board propulsion systems, unlocking more cost-effective space operations. The successful execution of this project will enable swift TRL raising of the platform. The comprehensive testing and validation process will demonstrate the capabilities of our technology to potential customers and stakeholders, providing tangible evidence of its reliability, accuracy, and efficiency. The successful development of the platform can provide the mobility required to empower robust exploration, science, and economic development on the surface of the Moon. This platform will be more economical than other alternatives due to its low mass and plug-and-play functionality. Ultimately, the system aims to provide the cheapest, most comprehensive logistics services that catalyze the promising lunar market. This SBIR Phase I Project will address the technical challenges associated with transporting resources across the lunar surface with a novel electromechanical "throwing" platform. The platform, which utilizes an electromechanical system to throw payloads across the lunar surface, offers an innovative solution for lunar surface logistics and other space-based mobility problems. The goals of the proposed R&D include developing a reliable, accurate, and energy-efficient prototype and demonstrating its feasibility and capabilities on Earth. Lunar operations are complex and expensive, and with novel technology such as the proposed platform, customers and other stakeholders will be looking for assurances that the platform will be both repeatable and accurate. Wear and tear on the system, varying environmental effects such as variable Lunar gravity, and built-in system inaccuracies such as error bands around release angle and velocity can cause a failure that could put customers at risk. The purpose of this effort is to demonstrate with specific hardware improvements that the platform can safely and repeatably deploy assets across the lunar surface.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.