Wizbe Industries, Inc. — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: S3.04
Wizbe Industries, Inc. — SBIR Phase I award from National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from National Aeronautics and Space Administration in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $114,983. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code S3.04 links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $114,983
- Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- S3.04
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- ME
- Period
- 2016-06-10 → 2016-12-09
Description
There is a growing desire for recovery systems that provide extended cross range capability and are steerable to enable precision landing of payloads. Using a recovery system that enables landings to specific coordinates can dramatically reduce suborbital flight recovery costs, future space return flight costs in the Earth's atmosphere. It also has potential in the Mars' atmosphere where a lightweight, low volume flight system such as a parafoil can increase the range of motion across the planet with increased lift or reduced drag. A fabric ram air canopy can be dramatically lighter weight than a foldable composite system while still being able to provide long range glide and descent rate control. Wizbe Innovations has developed a unique, lightweight fabric system to control airflow in textile based ram air canopies.Controlling the airflow provides glide and directional control to improve steering, potentially increase lift, and potentially reduce opening shock. Another potential advantage to moving the controls into the canopy is that it reduces field logistics by reducing retrieval to only the parachute canopy. Wizbe's controls are located within the parachute and have no winches, pulleys and wires outside the canopy.