ASBTDC client Torre Space and Power Systems, has received a $993,392 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation.
In Phase I, the company demonstrated the feasibility of a bold new approach to spacecraft power generation: magnetohydrodynamics, or MHD. The technology captures the natural plasma emitted by the sun to generate clean, reliable electrical power in space.
Chris Torre, co-founder, called the Phase II funding “a significant step forward” for the company.
“It gives us the resources to move from feasibility into real-world applications, with the potential to transform spacecraft power systems,” he said.
MHD’s Big Upside
The potential impact is significant. MHD generation offers much higher power density per volume and weight than existing alternatives, with high reliability and virtually no performance degradation over time, according to Torre.
It can help spacecraft and satellites operate more efficiently and for longer durations, while also lowering the fuel required for launches and reducing carbon emissions.
Beyond space applications, the technology’s innovations include a highly efficient ion funnel with potential uses in medical ion spectroscopy, making equipment more portable and affordable.
In addition, the compact, high-density electromagnets developed could improve efficiency in industrial and power system applications on Earth.
ASBTDC’s SBIR Acumen
Chris Torre of Sherwood has four decades of experience working with aerospace spacecraft, solar panels, and antennae. He and his brother Bill Torre launched TSPS in 2020.
Two years later, they won their first SBIR award, the Phase I grant from NSF.
When they chose to pursue Phase II, the Torres received hours of assistance with their proposal from the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center.
Catherine Corley, the center’s NSF expert, helped with the commercialization plan, go-to-market strategy, and letters of support from other potential funders and customers. She also advised the Torres about the due diligence that NSF required prior to the agency’s final determination of award.
In 2024, Chris Torre attended the America’s Seed Fund Road Tour stop in Little Rock hosted by ASBTDC, where he had the chance to meet one-on-one with SBIR program managers.
“ASBTDC’s support played a key role in helping us prepare a winning proposal,” Torre said. “Catherine Corley’s steady guidance gave us clarity and confidence at every step. Plus, with her deep market experience, she brought insight and perspective that we simply wouldn’t have had on our own.”
An Alternative with Multiple Applications
By securing Phase II support, Torre Space and Power Systems is positioned to demonstrate a pre-flight prototype system in a space-equivalent environment in a vacuum chamber at cold temperatures with plasma flows.
The long-term benefit of this system will be a high-power generator for space applications that could eventually replace solar cell panels that are bulky, heavy, and occupy a large area footprint, and use rare earth minerals.
To learn more about the company, visit tsps.space.