TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: Hall Effect Thruster Technologies (LEW-TOPS-34)

NASA's Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses . THE TECHNOLOGY: Innovators at NASA's Glenn Research Center have developed new technologies that increase the operational lifetime of a Hall effect thruster (HET), which is used primarily on Earth-orbiting satellites and can also be used for deep-space robotic vehicles. The operational lifetime of HETs is determined by the amount of time the thruster can operate before the plasma within the channel damages the magnetic system. Prior to this innovation, the plasma would erode the ceramic chamber of the HET in just over a year of operation. Glenn's breakthrough technology prolongs this operational lifetime through two related innovations. The first is an innovative magnetic field configuration that provides magnetic shielding to eliminate interactions between the high energy xenon plasma produced by the HET and the ceramic chamber that contains it. The second is a means of replacing eroded discharge channel material via a channel wall replacement mechanism. By increasing the lifetime and efficiency of HETs, Glenn's technology will enable a new era of space propulsion. To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA's Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/apply/license/LEW-TOPS-34 If you have any questions, please contact NASA Glenn's Technology Transfer Office at [email protected] with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this FBO notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/ These responses are provided to members of NASA's Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice .