Davis Small Business Lands NASA Contract

DAVIS, CA — Yolo Robotics of Davis has been awarded a contract by NASA to develop the core technology for an inductive foundry to recycle, sort, and “free-cast” metals in space.

The contract was announced by NASA late last month as part of an initiative to provide a boost to small businesses. The space agency awarded a total of $45 million in contracts for 365 proposals through its inaugural Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.

“At NASA, we recognize that small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the pandemic,” said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). “This year, to get funds into the hands of small businesses sooner, we accelerated the release of the 2021 SBIR/STTR Phase I solicitation by two months. We hope the expedited funding helps provide a near-term boost for future success.”

The contracts went to 289 small businesses and 47 research institutions, including 74 businesses here in California, and three universities.

The program is administered at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Yolo Robotics is at 3433 Oyster Bay Ave. in Davis.