The awards, granted under the agency’s EPFD program, have a combined value of $253.4 million
NASA has chosen two U.S. companies to develop electric propulsion technologies for aircraft, with the aim of introducing this tech to U.S. aviation fleets by 2035.
The two companies, GE Aviation and MagniX, will conduct their work over the next five years. That includes ground and flight test demonstrations, as well as collaborations with other NASA projects focused on electric propulsion, data analysis and flight test instrumentation.
The awards, granted under the agency’s Electric Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program, have a combined value of $253.4 million. Of that, $179 million was awarded to GE Aviation, with MagniX receiving $74.3 million.
The awards under the EPFD project announcement are hybrid firm-fixed-price/cost-share.
GE Aviation and MagniX will perform integrated megawatt-class powertrain system ground and flight demonstrations to validate their concepts, and project benefits for future electrified aircraft propulsion aircraft configurations, NASA’s Gaudy Bezos-O’Connor, EPFD project manager explained in a statement. These demonstrations will identify and retire technical barriers and integration risks. It will also help inform the development of standards and regulations for future EAP systems.
By taking these concepts to flight, NASA and its partners will accelerate the transition of EAP technologies into commercial products and be a catalyst for economic growth, said Robert Pearce, associate administrator for the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
He said: We expect to realize significant improvements in the economic and environmental performance of subsonic transports through the incorporation of these novel alternative propulsion and energy technologies into the fleet.
The EPFD project is a part of NASA’s Integrated Aviation Systems Program (IASP) which conducts flight-oriented, system-level research and technology development to mature and transition advanced aeronautic technologies into future air vehicles and operational systems.