NASA Awards UbiQD Contract to Develop Greenhouse Films for Space Missions
Phase I STTR will fund a collaboration with the University of Arizona Controlled Environment Agriculture Center to develop and test quantum dot materials for maximizing crop yields on the moon, Mars or other long-term space missions.
This false color photo shows the Dutch-style greenhouse in Alcalde, New Mexico, where UbiGro Film is boosting the weight yield of tomatoes.
New Mexico-based nanotechnology development company UbiQD has been awarded a Small Business Technology Transfer Program Phase I contract by NASA.
The investment is intended to fund UbiQD's collaborative research and development with the University of Arizona to explore using quantum dots to tailor the spectrum of sunlight for optimized crop growth in space.
“This technology offers an innovative approach to managing wavelengths from light source to plant leaf within a food plant production application,” commented Dr. Gene Giacomelli, professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center at the University of Arizona.