Shaheen Announces $1.5 Million to Support Space Exploration Technology Research Led by NH Small Business
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations (CJS) subcommittee which funds the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and a senior member of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, announced the award of $1.5 million in federal funding to Creare, LLC in support of its space exploration technology research. Specifically, the funding was awarded through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and will go to two projects – one to create a novel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that will enhance NASA’s DragonFly mission to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, and another to create a new chemical sensor that could be used for human life support systems on Mars.
The SBIR program supports the growth of small, high-tech companies by leveraging a small percentage of federal research and development funding. The programs allow small businesses to support federal agencies through contracts in such areas as aerospace engineering, public health and national security. The SBIR program has also resulted in a valuable return on investment for taxpayers.
“New Hampshire small businesses are at the forefront of high-tech research and innovation that drives our national economy and addresses the economic and scientific needs of our nation. The SBIR program plays an important role in bolstering this research and development at companies and academic institutions throughout the state, which is why I have fought for it during my time in the Senate,” said Senator Shaheen. “I am very pleased Creare has received these awards, which will help drive the company’s exciting work in support of NASA’s space exploration programs. I’ll continue to fight for funding that unleashes the groundbreaking potential of Granite State small businesses, cements our nation’s position as the global leader in space exploration and puts humanity one step closer to realizing its dream of exploring Mars and beyond.”
“Creare is proud to continue to support NASA’s goal of enhancing knowledge of planetary science. Creare’s past NASA SBIR projects have been an integral part in the development of one-of-a-kind technologies used on the Hubble Space Telescope and Mars Science Laboratory and the new projects will support efforts to place humans on Mars and to search for life on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan,” said Bob Kline-Schoder, President and Principal Engineer of Creare.
Shaheen has long supported the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs and has been a fierce advocate for these programs in Congress for nearly a decade. Last June, Shaheen also introduced legislation that would permanently reauthorize and increase funding for these programs.
