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news release:
SatCon Wins NASA Contract for a
Superconducting Motor for Electric Aircraft
Boston, MA, Feb. 7:
SatCon Technology
Corporation (NASDAQ:
SATC), a developer and manufacturer of power electronics and motors for the
alternative energy markets, today announced that it has been awarded a Phase I
SBIR contract with NASA's John H. Glenn Research Center for development work on
a superconducting machine for future hybrid and all-electric aircraft.
SatCon's Applied Technology division is
developing a new technology superconducting machine with the goals of improved
efficiency, reduced size, and reduced cost over competing superconducting
machinery technologies. SatCon is pursuing a novel design approach that uses
modified-Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) cryo-cooler technology and conventional
drive technology. The initial design is targeted as a propulsion motor for
unmanned all electric aircraft, but the technology is also suitable for hybrid
electric aircraft as a main superconducting generator. Furthermore, this
solution can be considered for future marine applications as generators or
propulsion motors. SatCon will collaborate with cryogenics systems experts at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to de-risk and develop the
superconducting propulsion motor. For Phase II, SatCon will seek to collaborate
with an aircraft manufacturer to develop a design prototype targeted for a
specific aircraft application.
"This award is further evidence of SatCon's
commitment to the alternative energy markets and our breadth of technical
expertise in advanced power solutions," stated SatCon's President & Chief
Operating Officer, Millard Firebaugh. "Hybrid and all-electric aircraft,
represent a path towards reduced dependence on foreign oil imports and a
sustainable future for the aerospace industry, and SatCon is developing the
enabling electric power conversion technology to lead us there."
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