TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Air Buoyant Vacuum Vessel Tender, USA - 124214163

Procurement Summary

Country: USA

Summary: TECHNOLOGY LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Air Buoyant Vacuum Vessel

Deadline: 08 Sep 2025

Other Information

Notice Type: Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 124214163

Document Ref. No.: S-133529

Financier: Self Financed

Purchaser Ownership: Public

Tender Value: Refer Document

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Tender Details

Description

Aerostat technology is highly sought after by military and law enforcement to support intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions and enhance network communications capabilities in land and sea platforms. Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers have developed ultra-strong, ultra-lightweight aerogels to be used in an air-buoyant vacuum vessel (aka a vacuum balloon). This Lab-developed vessel floats in the air by the same principles as a helium weather balloon, blimp, or aerostat, but is filled with “nothing” (i.e., vacuum) instead of helium, which is becoming more scarce and thus expensive. To achieve buoyancy, a solid hollow structure has been made from material strong enough to withstand the crushing force of atmospheric pressure, yet light enough to float when the vacuum is applied to the interior. Los Alamos is seeking to commercialize this technology through licensing or collaborative research as the next step.

The Challenge:

Scientists at LANL recognized the impact that ever-increasing scarcity and expense of helium would have on several technology sector applications. For example, helium is vital for cooling supercritical magnets required for medical imaging, to cool nuclear reactors, to keep rocket fuel cool during liftoff, and in the operation of scientific colliders and accelerators. With helium becoming less available, priority given to medical, space exploration, and scientific research is anticipated to take precedence over commercial applications of helium. Therefore, there was a need to find a helium alternative to air buoyant applications. By using vacuum in place of helium, the need for helium could be reduced, if not eliminated, from the entire sector of weather balloon, blimp, aerostat and airship applications that compete for this resource. For this reason, LANL developed the vacuum vessel technology.

How it Works:

The Lab-s vacuum vessel technology is based on the surprising discovery that ultr...
Active Contract Opportunity
Notice ID : S-133529
Related Notice
Department/Ind. Agency : ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF
Sub-tier : ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF
Office: TRIAD - DOE CONTRACTOR
General Information
Contract Opportunity Type: Special Notice (Original)
Original Published Date: Aug 08, 2025 09:42 am MDT
Original Response Date: Sep 08, 2025 05:00 pm MDT
Inactive Policy: Manual
Original Inactive Date: Sep 08, 2026
Initiative: None

Classification
Original Set Aside: No Set aside used
Product Service Code: AJ13 - GENERAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY R&D SVCS; GENERAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY; ExPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT
NAICS Code: 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)

Place of Performance: Los Alamos, NM 87545 USA

Documents

 Tender Notice