# TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER LICENSING OPPORTUNITY: Coil-On-Plug Igniter for Reliable Engine Starts (MSC-TOPS-105)

Canonical: https://abierto.us/opportunities/t2pjsc00058

- Solicitation number: T2P-JSC-00058
- Notice type: Special notice
- Status: Closed. Deadline was July 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT
- Department: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Contracting office: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (80MSFC)
- NAICS: 927110 Space Research and Technology
- Product or service code: 9999 Miscellaneous Items
- First posted: August 27, 2025
- Last posted: September 8, 2025
- SAM.gov: https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/6ec3bbe21dd645d484ded663876d7182/view

## Description

9/08/2025 - Updated title to reflect correct TOPS # MSC-TOPS-105 rather than TOPS # MSF-TOPS-105

NASA’s Technology Transfer Program solicits inquiries from companies interested in obtaining license rights to commercialize, manufacture and market the following technology. License rights may be issued on an exclusive or nonexclusive basis and may include specific fields of use. NASA provides no funding in conjunction with these potential licenses.

**THE TECHNOLOGY:** Innovators at NASA Johnson Space Center have developed a coil-on-plug ignition system for integrated liquid oxygen (LOX)/liquid methane (LCH4) thermal-vacuum environment propulsion systems operating in a thermal vacuum environment. The innovation will help quell corona discharge issues and reduce overall mass.

Corona discharge represents a local region surrounding a high-voltage conductor where air has undergone an electrical breakdown and become conductive due to ionization, allowing a charge to leak off the conductor and cause a possible malfunction. NASA worked with commercial vendors to modify off-the-shelf automotive coil-on-plug spark plug systems for use with LOX/LCH4 igniters.

The coil-on-plug configuration eliminates the bulky standalone coil-pack and conventional high-voltage spark plug cable by combining the coil and the spark plug into a single component. The test campaign successfully proved that coil-on-plug technology can enable integrated LOX/methane propulsion systems in future spacecraft.

To express interest in this licensing opportunity, please submit a license application through NASA’s Automated Technology Licensing Application System (ATLAS) by visiting https://technology.nasa.gov/patent/MSC-TOPS-105 If you have any questions, please e-mail NASA’s Technology Transfer Program at Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov with the title of this Technology Transfer Opportunity as listed in this SAM.gov notice and your preferred contact information.

For more information about licensing other NASA-developed technologies, please visit the NASA Technology Transfer Portal at https://technology.nasa.gov/. These responses are provided to members of NASA’s Technology Transfer Program for the purpose of promoting public awareness of NASA-developed technology products, and conducting preliminary market research to determine public interest in and potential for future licensing opportunities. No follow-on procurement is expected to result from responses to this Notice.

## Publications

- August 27, 2025: Special notice, due July 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT. Notice a63e6549d7304f768e33ebf12e88eeb6. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/a63e6549d7304f768e33ebf12e88eeb6/view
- September 8, 2025: Special notice, due July 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT. Notice 6ec3bbe21dd645d484ded663876d7182. https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/6ec3bbe21dd645d484ded663876d7182/view

## Points of contact

- NASA’s Technology Transfer Program, Agency-Patent-Licensing@mail.nasa.gov

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Source: SAM.gov Contract Opportunities bulk extract. Confirm deadlines on SAM.gov before responding. Cite https://abierto.us/opportunities/t2pjsc00058.