Technology January 27, 2021 8:19:25 pm

Blue Canyon lands contract to provide NASA with deep-space satellites

By Dan Mika

LAFAYETTE — Blue Canyon Technologies has been selected to build a series of satellites for NASA as part of a series of missions announced this week to research star systems and planets beyond our galaxy.

The Lafayette-based maker of microsatellites will provide equipment to two projects under NASA’s Pioneers program, which gives early to mid-career astrophysicists an early opportunity to lead research teams.

Project Aspera, based out of the University of Arizona, will use ultraviolet light to determine if pockets of hot gas exist and interact between the portions of empty space between the galaxies. Little is known about the void that exists between separate star systems.

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Project Pandora, which jointly runs out the Livermore National Laboratory and the Goddard Space Flight Center, will more closely analyze 39 planets outside our solar system to gather data on how they interact with nearby stars. That data could play a role in the search for finding a habitable planet outside of Earth.

“The missions will demonstrate our ability to be a mission-enabler in the areas of exoplanet characterization and the intergalactic medium,” Blue Canyon CEO George Stafford said in a statement.

The company did not specify how much it stands to gain financially from the agreement, but the two projects are capped at $20 million each.

Blue Canyon was acquired by defense giant Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX) last month. It continues to operate out of its Lafayette headquarters and a location in Boulder.