Clean energy technology company Precision Combustion, Inc. won a contract to develop a new fuel cell system suitable for use on NASA space missions to the moon and Mars.
The NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I contract is for $124,737, according to Tony Anderson, the company’s director of marketing and business development.
PCI, located at 410 Sackett Point Rd., North Haven, will be collaborating with UConn on the project. NASA needs a fuel cell system capable of using propellant grade reactants.
PCI President Kevin Burns said the company’s work with NASA has challenged it to extend its capabilities.
“We’re happy and proud to be working to help America return to the moon, and go beyond,” Burns said.
Earlier this summer, the company obtained a NASA contract related to spacesuit technology.
Subir Roychoudhury, principal investigator for the project, said PCI’s fuel system technology builds on advanced approaches towards a new power source for space vehicles and habitats.
The goal is to increase the capability and viability of space missions, according to Roychoudhury.
The first phase of the project involves PCI demonstrating proof of concept, and the company will develop and demonstrate the fuel cell system in the second phase, he added.
By using spacecraft propellants for the fuel cells powering the vehicles and habitats on the moon and Mars, it simplifies the supply chain and supports the generation of products with local materials.
According to NASA, finding and using materials while on missions is key for longer space exploration, as there is a limit to the amount of supplies astronauts can bring with them.
According to PCI, a fuel cell must be able to use the propellant fuels, tolerate contaminants and be highly efficient in spite of factors such as temperature extremes. The company says its approach is for a system that is smaller, lighter and more thermally effective than any current or other prospective technologies.
Burns said PCI is also working to apply its technology closer to home, for power generation and industrial processes.
Contact Michelle Tuccitto Sullo at msullo@newhavenbiz.com.
