Federal award (DEFINITIVE CONTRACT, fiscal year 2022)
Recipient: SUNPOWER, INC
Awarding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Funding agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration / National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Period of performance: 2017-10-10 to 2023-01-20
Current total value of award: $7902726.34
Description: THIS CONVERTOR DEVELOPMENT EFFORT IS IN SUPPORT OF NASAS SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE (SMD) AND ITS NEED FOR HIGHER-EFFICIENCY RADIOISOTOPE POWER SYSTEMS (RPS).  NASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER SEEKS TO DEVELOP POWER SYSTEMS WITH A CONVERSION EFFICIENCY OF AT LEAST 20% AT THE GENERATOR LEVEL, WHICH WOULD OFFER A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OVER THE CURRENT STATE-OF-THE-ART RPS.  SUCH A POWER SYSTEM WOULD REQUIRE LESS RADIOISOTOPE FUEL TO PRODUCE THE ELECTRICITY REQUIRED BY THE MISSION.  THE MAJORITY OF SCIENCE MISSIONS ARE MANY YEARS IN DURATION, AND SUBJECT TO HARSH ENVIRONMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH SPACEFLIGHT.  THUS, RELIABILITY AND ROBUSTNESS OF THE POWER SYSTEM ARE OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.  DYNAMIC CONVERTORS, SUCH AS A STIRLING-CYCLE MACHINE, OFFER THE POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE THIS CONVERSION EFFICIENCY, ROBUSTNESS, AND RELIABILITY.  THIS CONTRACT SPECIFICALLY IS FOCUSED ON REALIZING SUCH A STIRLING-CYCLE POWER CONVERTOR.