[Satellite TODAY 12-10-10] NASA is negotiating contracts with 350 small businesses over proposals to address critical research and technology needs for agency programs and projects, the agency announced Dec. 9.
    The winners included small satellite technology manufacturers, including Honeybee Robotics, Stottler Henke Associates and CrossTrac Engineering.
    The proposals are part of NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR program selected 450 proposals from 309 small, high technology firms in 37 states for negotiation of Phase 1 contracts with a total value of about $45 million.
    The STTR program chose 45 proposals for negotiation of Phase 1 contracts with a total value of about $4.5 million. Those contracts will be awarded to 41 small high technology firms in 16 states, which will partner with 41 universities or research institutions in 22 states. The SBIR/STTR programs include three phases.
    “These Phase 1 awards will serve as seed funds for transformative research and technology projects that have the potential to mature new products and services of great benefit to NASA and the nation,” NASA Chief Technologist Bobby Braun said in a statement.
    Phase 2 proposals will expand on the results of the developments in Phase 1, with $750,000 in awards for a period of two years. Phase 3 is for the commercialization of the results of Phase 2 and requires the use of private sector or non-SBIR federal funding.