SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
QorTek, Inc.
1965 Lycoming Creek Road, Suite 205
Williamsport, PA 17701 - 1251
(570) 322-2700

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Gareth J Knowles
gknowles@qortek.com
1965 Lycoming Creek Road, Suite 205
Williamsport, PA 17701 - 1251
(570) 322-2700

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Cathy Bower
cbrooke@qortek.com
1965 Lycoming Creek Road, Suite 205
Williamsport, PA 17701 - 1251
(570) 322-2700

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 2
End: 4

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Small Spacecraft Power and Thermal Control is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
The proposed electrical power system (EPS) aims to improve modularity, scalability, and efficiency of small spacecraft and CubeSat power systems (up to 100W) by implementing a novel dynamically reconfigurable converter architecture that integrates high reliability components and novel thermal management techniques to enable safe operation in extreme radiation and temperature environments. The new Dynamically Reconfigurable Electrical Power System (DREPS) fully featured small-satellite power system modular architecture incorporates a number of new technologies enabling a solution that is capable of input and output power levels up to 100W in a 0.5U CubeSat form factor. Integration of state-of-the-art technologies such as Wide Bandgap MOSFETs, heat pipes, printed circuit board (PCB) integrated planar magnetics, digital system control and three-dimensional circuit layout techniques will aid in the ability to deliver an unparalleled level of system control while providing a solution focused on extreme environmental conditions needed for long duration space missions. The new approach also provides solution for proposed new electric propulsion technologies via recent advances in high voltage ceramic-based power converter technology. Integration of cutting edge thermal management technology will enable adaptive retention or rejection of heat as a fully integral portion of the system packaging. Additionally, an array of configurable Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) Battery Control Regulators (BCR) will allow compatibility with all available industry standard solar cells and energy storage technologies.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
NASA has planned, or is planning, a wide range of high orbit and deep space related missions in support of Earth sciences, planetary sciences, and Heliosphere studies. Science missions such as Astrobiology (e.g microorganisms), radiometrics, environmental monitoring (e.g. weather), relay communications, lunar resources, planetary magnetometry, etc. are increasingly under consideration by NASA to be implemented by SmallSats. As technology advances, these smaller spacecraft will become ever more viable to undertake these, and a wide range of other NASA missions, along with technology qualification missions. The significant attention to enabling rad hard versions of the modular architecture in the proposed program will allow the same technology to be used for SmallSat and CubeSat missions aimed at operations in and beyond LEO orbits including MEO (Van Allan belt) as to address the needs of high value science missions. The same technology/products that can make have an impact on planned NASA science missions can make transformational impacts to such extended SmallSat missions that aim to deploy in MEO/GEO orbit (gamma ray and proton detectors, solar observation) and beyond (solar particle/space particle environment assessments) as to support NASA mission probe programs.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Several DoD agencies can immediately benefit and are obvious customers for the new modular reconfigurable EPS solution that offers SWaP advantages and significantly higher radiation tolerance. This especially includes establishing SmallSat capabilities at higher earth orbits where the satellite subsystems will now be exposed to much higher levels of radiation and thermal excursion than LEO orbit satellites. Other space launch organizations such as CSA and ESA and USA-based commercial space are also pursuing SmallSat missions and similarly looking to acquire such capabilities as proposed to enable new areas of science and space operation such as re-entry, debris removal, climate change monitoring and many more. Such organizations are ready customers for the proposed new DEPS EPS solution. While commercial customers purchased less than 10 percent of the satellites weighing from 2009 to 2013, those customers are likely to dominate the business from 2014 to 2016. More than 70% of future SmallSats/CubeSats will be in the 1 to 50 kilograms range and primarily used for Earth observation, communication, and remote sensing purposes representing a growth industry for its proposed DREPS products.