Contract · Federal

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OPPORTUNITY: System for Flight Control of Extremely Fast (Hypersonic) Aircraft (LAR-TOPS-363)

Agency: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION / NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Location: HUNTSVILLE, AL
Amount: Amount not listed
Posted: Aug 10, 2026
Set-aside: None (open competition)
NAICS code: 927110 look up NAICS codes
PSC code: 9999

Timeline

Posted

Aug 10, 2026
Status

Open now

What contracts like this typically pay

No award history yet for this category (NAICS 927110).

What this contract is for

Agency: NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION / NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Location: HUNTSVILLE, AL
NAICS: 927110
Scope: Federal

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology.

License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use.

NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses.

THE TECHNOLOGY: Researchers at NASA’s Langley Research Center have designed an electrode-based system for guidance, navigation and control of aircraft or spacecraft moving at hypersonic speeds in ionizing atmospheres.

The system is composed of two electrodes that sit on the surface of a craft’s thermal protection system (TPS) and an electromagnet positioned beneath the craft’s TPS.

The system operates based on the principles of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and uses energy harvested from the ionized flow occurring during flight at hypersonic speeds to power the electromagnet and generate extremely large Lorentz forces capable of augmenting lift and drag forces to steer and control the craft.

The energy harvested can alternatively be stored for later use.

NASA’s system is simpler than conventional methods for control of hypersonic craft (e.g., chemical propulsion, shifting flight center of gravity, or trim tabs) and enables new entry, descent, and landing mission architectures.

NASA’s MHD patch technology consists of two electrodes positioned a prescribed distance apart on the surface of the TPS of an aircraft or spacecraft and an electromagnetic coil placed directly below the electrodes with the magnetic field protruding out of the surface.

During hypersonic flight, the conductive ionizing atmospheric flow over the surface enables current to flow between the two electrodes.

This current is harnessed to power the electromagnet which in t...

Official solicitation and documents

The full solicitation, any attachments, and the actual submission instructions live on the official listing, not on this page. Oppward summarizes public record data; it does not host or mirror the source documents.

View the official listing on SAM.gov

Oppward is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by SAM.gov or any government agency. This page is a plain-English summary of public record data; the linked source above is the authoritative listing.

How to bid on this

This is a contract solicitation, not a grant. To bid, you submit a proposal (usually a price and a description of how you would do the work) directly to the government, through the channel the official listing specifies, not through Oppward.

Make sure your business has an active SAM.gov registration. You cannot be paid on a federal contract without one.
Read the full solicitation on the official listing above, especially the scope of work, not just this summary. Our guide to reading a solicitation walks through what to look for.
This listing has no set-aside restriction ("full and open competition"), meaning any business, large or small, can bid.
Submit your proposal by the deadline, using the exact submission method the official listing states. A technically on-time bid sent the wrong way is often treated as late.