Opportunity

SAM #TP2-SSC-00009

NASA Technology Transfer Opportunity: Supersonic Spike Diffuser (SSC-TOPS-10) License Rights

Buyer

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Posted

August 10, 2026

Respond By

August 10, 2027

Identifier

TP2-SSC-00009

NAICS

927110, 336419, 336415, 334511

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center is seeking companies interested in licensing the Supersonic Spike Diffuser technology (patent SSC-TOPS-10) for commercialization. - Technology Transfer Opportunity - License rights to manufacture, market, and commercialize the Supersonic Spike Diffuser - Patent SSC-TOPS-10 developed by NASA Stennis Space Center - Licensing may be exclusive or nonexclusive, and may specify fields of use - No funding provided by NASA for licensees - Technology Details - Diffuser offers approximately double the pumping performance of second-throat diffusers - Enables lower vacuum pressures and more compact designs - Application Process - Interested companies must submit a license application via NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) - Commercial Opportunity - No specific OEMs, vendors, or product quantities named - No follow-on procurement anticipated from this notice

Description

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:  

Standard cylindrical and second-throat diffusers allow supersonic gas flows to expand within their walls and pull a vacuum on any upstream void. However, the high-Mach-number shock reflections that occur in the center of the plume create substantial losses and result in an inefficient pumping process. Centerbody diffuser designs provide an improvement by reducing the maximum Mach number of the core flow, but also increase the number of oblique shocks in the system by introducing multiple turns into the system. A new type of spike diffuser recently developed by NASA Stennis Space Center is able to provide approximately double the pumping performance of second-throat diffusers via Pareto-efficient reduction of both core Mach number and flow deflection. This enables substantially lower vacuum pressures to be achieved for a given feed pressure/mass flow via the use of higher-expansion-ratio driving nozzles. Spike diffusers are also spatially compact, requiring only ~25% of the length of second-throat designs. 

To express interest in this opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/SSC-TOPS-10  

If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information. For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/ 

These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.  

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