LaserMotive Honored by NASA

LaserMotive, an R&D company specializing in laser power beaming technology, was among the honorees at a ceremony by NASA for winning the 2009 Centennial Challenge Power Beaming Competition. The ceremony was held Feb. 26 at NASA headquarters in Washington.

LaserMotive earned a prize of nearly $1 million and set scientific records for laser power beaming – the wireless transfer of energy from one location to another – to win the competition, part of the Space Elevator Games. As part of the NASA Centennial Challenge program, the games are designed to foster technologies that can be used in the Space Elevator, but are also applicable to nearer-term NASA programs.

LaserMotive’s win marks the first time an organization has won the competition since its origin in 2005.

“We are pleased to be honored by NASA for this achievement,” said Tom Nugent, co-founder of LaserMotive and who also served as project manager for the company’s winning entry, a system that was used to power a robotic climber to a height of 3300 feet. “Laser power beaming is a technology that holds great promise in a variety of applications, including unmanned aerial vehicles, communications and even rocket propulsion. Entering the competition not only has helped us further the R&D in this area, but the prize will assist us in continuing our development of this technology.”

For more information, visit: www.lasermotive.com