Back to the catalog
Spinoff story
Oxygen Sensors Monitor Bioreactors and Ensure Health and Safety
A real-world story of NASA technology finding a life beyond the mission.
About this technology
Overview
In order to cultivate healthy bacteria in bioreactors, Kennedy Space Center awarded SBIR funding to Needham Heights, Massachusetts-based Polestar Technologies Inc. to develop sensors that could monitor oxygen levels. The result is a sensor now widely used by pharmaceutical companies and medical research universities. Other sensors have also been developed, and in 2013 alone the company increased its workforce by 50 percent.