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Space Case: Colorado Power at Work on NASA Project

Posted on: Tuesday, 5 July 2005, 09:01 CDT

FORT COLLINS - As moviegoers continue to pack theaters to see the latest and last installment of the Star Wars saga, a Fort Collins company is working diligently to make space exploration a more feasible endeavor.

While the project might not be as glamorous as the George Lucas' version of space travel, the technology developed could extend far beyond the reach of the galaxy. Its impact could completely change power conversion practices in a variety of applications.

Colorado Power Electronics Inc. is part of a team of companies awarded a $36 million contract from NASA to design and develop a new method of propulsion for space exploration vehicles. The team, headed by California-based Aerojet, a subsidiary of GenCorp. Inc. (NYSE: GY) company, also includes Lockheed Martin's Missiles and Space Division based in Sunnyvale, Calif. and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.

The contract comes as part of the "Vision for Space Exploration"program launched by NASA at the request of President George W. Bush.

In response to Bush's call to action, a NASA launched a major reorganization of the program. A very broad call for bids was put out, seeking myriad technologies. Aerojet answered that call.

"It was an incredibly stiff competition," said Ron Spores, Aerojet's project manager. He said NASA received around 500 proposals, but not all of them were for the propulsion system.

"Nobody else had a proposal that was near ours," he said.

The team will develop a new, more efficient method of propulsion for spacecrafts - electric propulsion. Chemical propulsion is currently used, a method that adds substantial fuel costs and weight to the vehicles.

Electronic propulsion is about 10-times more fuel efficient than chemical propulsion, according Spores. Additionally, the system will increase the total power and thrust from 18 kilowatts in the current systems to about 600 kilowatts - 600 kilowatts is the equivalent of 800 horsepower.

The electronic propulsion system is about 96 percent efficient, according to Geoff Drummond, president of Colorado Power Electronics. This means that only 4 percent of the energy put into the system is wasted.

"It gives incredible gas mileage in space," Spores said of the electronic system. "Nobody's ever built anything like this at all."

Prior to the Bush administration's push to revitalize the space program, there wasn't much of an economic incentive to create such a system. In January 2004, Bush announced his vision for the future of space exploration. The goals of the program are to:

* Implement a sustained and affordable human and robotic program to explore the solar system and beyond.

* Extend human presence across the solar system, starting with the human return to the moon by the year 2020, in preparation for human exploration of Mars and other destinations.

* Develop the innovative knowledge technologies and infrastructures both to explore and to support decisions about the destinations for human exploration.

* Promote international and commercial participation in space exploration to further U.S. scientific, security and economic interests.

"They have a vision - they want to go back to the Moon," Spores said. "Electronic propulsion enables this program to be economically feasible."

Colorado Power Electronics got involved with the project through a previous relationship with Aerojet. Aerojet approached the company about two years ago to work on a similar project using Colorado Power Electronics' power conversion technology. Drummond said that the development of the technology for this first project led to the realization that it would work on other applications.

"The thing we found is that it had high efficiency," he said. Colorado Power Electronics will contribute a power conversion system to the propulsion project that will convert solar power into about 100 volts - depending on the proximity to the sun. The converted power could then charge electric thrusters.

Drummond expects to have a "breadboard" completed in about five months. A breadboard is a cheaper, scaled-down model of the actual product that is used to prove the theories and troubleshoot any issues prior to investing large amounts necessary to make the system worthy of flight.

"We're excited to be a part of this," he said. "It makes me feel good that some of my designs will escape Earth's gravity."

Drummond admits that Colorado Power Electronics will only receive a small portion of the $36 million contract. However, he feels this technology will benefit the company in other ways.

"I think we've only scratched on the surface of this application," he said. Drummond envisions using this technology in other arenas.

"Twenty years from now, this will be the power converter of choice," he said.

Drummond founded Colorado Power Electronics in 1996 as a part- time effort. In 2001, he began to devote himself to the business full-time because of the increase in demand.

Traditionally, the company designs and builds power testing equipment.

"This is something that is new to us in the past two years," he said of the current work. Prior to the company's work with Aerojet and NASA, it had only one customer. The customer, L3 Communications, formerly part of Boeing's Electron Dynamic Devices Division, changed hands several times in the past few years.

"We've been looking to diversify," Drummond said, adding that he would like to see the company triple its current size.

He is confident that if this power conversion technology takes off, the growth will follow. But he said this work is not necessarily about gaining money or size.

"We're helping people design the next generation of equipment," he said.

Colorado Power Electronics Inc.

Headquarters: Fort Collins

Founded: 1996

Management: Geoff Drummond, president

Employees: 7

Products/services: Custom power test stations and power conversion units

SOURCE: BUSINESS REPORT RESEARCH

Copyright Northern Colorado Business Review May 27, 2005

Source: Northern Colorado Business Report

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