FRANKFORT — NASA has selected hundreds of small businesses and dozens of research institutions to develop technology to help drive the future of space exploration, ranging from novel sensors and electronics to new types of software and cutting-edge materials. The newly awarded projects under the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program also include a high-power electric rocket and a coating to make solar panels more efficient that could be used both in space and here on Earth.

The awards total nearly $50 million, with investments spread out over 39 states and Washington. Under the selection, 333 proposals from 257 small businesses and 41 research institutions, including 10 Minority Serving Institutions, will be awarded first-round funding for technology development.

Adirondack IT Solutions in Frankfort was one of the many businesses chosen to receive funding from the Small Business Innovation Research program, where each business receives $150,000.

“I am pleased to announce that our team from Adirondack IT Solutions, LLC has been selected for a 2022 NASA SBIR Phase 1 award based on the proposal that we submitted for the Cognitive Communications subtopic titled Reactive Routing: Harnessing Advanced Software Modems,” said Ronny L. Bull, owner, chief scientist and principal consultant
at Adirondack IT Solutions.

Adirondack IT Solutions provides IT consulting, network and computer systems engineering and security auditing, as well as custom software development services for local businesses, organizations, schools, universities and government agencies. With the funding from NASA, they will work on developing new autonomous routing techniques for interplanetary communications.

The company is hopeful to be successful with their phase one funding and research to be able to receive funding for phase two and potentially partner with larger organizations like SpaceX and Amazon.

NASA investments in American small businesses and research institutions help provide the innovations needed for the exciting and ambitious missions on the agency’s horizon and foster robust commercial space and technology sectors.

“NASA is working on ambitious, groundbreaking missions that require innovative solutions from a variety of sources, especially our small businesses,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Small businesses have the creative edge and expertise needed to help our agency solve our common and complex challenges, and they are crucial to maintaining NASA’s leadership in space. The SBIR program is one of the key ways we do that as well as creating jobs in a growing, sustainable space economy.”