Robotically Manipulated Payload ChallengeNASA has selected three teams as Phase 1 winners of the TechLeap Robotically Manipulated Payload Challenge to receive $200,000 each and advance to Phase 2.
Meet the Phase 1 winners
El Segundo, California
General Galactic Technologies Corporation
Theseus Experimental Project
Theseus is a modular refuellable propulsion demonstration project. The modular propulsion payload runs entirely on water and carries a replaceable tank rather than a fixed propellant load. This allows spacecraft to be refueled, extending missions with refueling or a tank swap instead of requiring a new vehicle. A robotic arm will manage the operation: transferring the modular unit from the delivery vehicle to the host spacecraft, orienting for thruster operations, and then swapping out the water tank when it is time to refuel.
Theseus is a modular refuellable propulsion demonstration project. The modular propulsion payload runs entirely on water and carries a replaceable tank rather than a fixed propellant load. This allows spacecraft to be refueled, extending missions with refueling or a tank swap instead of requiring a new vehicle. A robotic arm will manage the operation: transferring the modular unit from the delivery vehicle to the host spacecraft, orienting for thruster operations, and then swapping out the water tank when it is time to refuel.
El Segundo, California
Falcon ExoDynamics
Stowable Mobile Inspection Kit for Close Inspection Operations
Falcon ExoDynamics’ stowable mobile inspection kit features its multi-spectral sensor. Mounted on a bracket designed for a robotic arm, the sensor includes multiple cameras and sensors to support inspection operations. Once deployed, the robotic arm will use the kit as a movable sensor package to inspect the host spacecraft, its solar arrays, and the departing delivery vehicle.
Falcon ExoDynamics’ stowable mobile inspection kit features its multi-spectral sensor. Mounted on a bracket designed for a robotic arm, the sensor includes multiple cameras and sensors to support inspection operations. Once deployed, the robotic arm will use the kit as a movable sensor package to inspect the host spacecraft, its solar arrays, and the departing delivery vehicle.
Atlanta, Georgia
SpaceWorks Enterprises, Inc.
PECAN: Power and Edge-Compute Augmentation Node
SpaceWorks' PECAN is a roughly-12U module that carries power, compute, and fluid. A robotic arm will grapple PECAN from its delivery vehicle and berth it on the host FFR spacecraft's deck using the FuseBlox interface, where a single mating plane connects mechanical, power, data, and fluid interfaces between the two spacecraft. With most spacecraft capabilities currently fixed at launch, PECAN is intended to demonstrate foundational interfaces that could scale to future in-space assembly, aggregation, and augmentation of large space systems, and to gather operational lessons that inform their development.
SpaceWorks' PECAN is a roughly-12U module that carries power, compute, and fluid. A robotic arm will grapple PECAN from its delivery vehicle and berth it on the host FFR spacecraft's deck using the FuseBlox interface, where a single mating plane connects mechanical, power, data, and fluid interfaces between the two spacecraft. With most spacecraft capabilities currently fixed at launch, PECAN is intended to demonstrate foundational interfaces that could scale to future in-space assembly, aggregation, and augmentation of large space systems, and to gather operational lessons that inform their development.