Special Notice NAICS 541715

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 imagin...

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