ADA Technologies, Inc.¶
Location: Littleton, Colorado
Type: Industry (small business, diversified R&D)
FO Projects: 12180
Outcome Category: Mission Infusion (ISS deployed Dec 2015) + Orion Phase III adaptation + DoD batteries/thermal
Confidence: Confirmed (ISS deployment documented by Colorado School of Mines, NTRS papers, USASpending Phase III contracts)
Last updated: Session 86 (2026-04-07)
Summary¶
ADA Technologies developed a Fine Water Mist (FWM) Portable Fire Extinguisher (PFE) for ISS through a decade-long SBIR chain (2004–2014) culminating in FO parabolic flight validation. The FWM PFE was launched to the ISS on December 6, 2015 aboard Orbital ATK OA-4 (ULA Atlas V) — the first two of nine planned units to replace the station's CO2 extinguishers, which had been flagged in 2011 for incompatibility with emergency breathing equipment. ADA then received two Phase III SBIR contracts (2015–2017) to adapt the technology for the Orion spacecraft.
ADA's core business is batteries and thermal management for DoD — $46M+ in visible DoD contracts (updated Session 56). The FO fire extinguisher was a successful but secondary product line within a broadly diversified defense R&D shop. The company remains very active through 2027 with $7.4M in new Army, Air Force, DLA, and DARPA contracts awarded in 2024–2026, including new applications in Li-S batteries for hypersonic platforms and directed energy weapons.
Timeline¶
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2004 | STTR Phase I — FWM PFE concept |
| 2005 | STTR Phase II |
| 2006 | SBIR Phase I |
| 2007 | SBIR Phase II ($599.6K, NNC07CA18C) |
| 2009 | SBIR Phase I — advanced nozzles ($100K, NNX09CD15P) |
| 2010 | SBIR Phase II ($749.9K, NNX10CA43C = TechPort 8685) |
| 2011–2014 | FO parabolic flights — microgravity validation [TechPort 12180] |
| 2012 | Patent filed: US8746357B2 "Fine water mist multiple orientation discharge fire extinguisher" |
| 2013 | ICES paper: "Development of the ISS Fine Water Mist PFE" (NTRS 20130011664) |
| 2015 Dec 6 | First 2 FWM PFEs launched to ISS on Orbital ATK OA-4 (9 total planned) |
| 2015 | Phase III SBIR: lightweight tanks for Orion PFE ($120K, NNJ15HD46P) |
| 2016–2017 | Phase III SBIR: lightweight FWM PFE ($406.8K, NNJ16HD31P) |
| 2018 | NTRS report: "Orion Portable Fire Extinguisher Performance Testing Against Laptop Li-Ion Battery Fires" (20180005251) |
| 2020 | NASA Spinoff 2020: "Zero-Leak Valve Holds Tight in Demanding Environments" (related ADA technology) |
FO flight test to ISS deployment gap: ~1.5 years (FO project ended Jul 2014, ISS launch Dec 2015). Remarkably fast — FO validation was the final qualification step.
TechPort Records¶
12180 — FO Flight Test¶
- Title: Validation of a Fine Water Mist Fire Extinguisher
- Program: Flight Opportunities (FO)
- Period: 2011-07-19 to 2014-07-19
- TRL: 4 → 7
- PI: Thierry Carriere
- TX: TX06.4.2 Fire Detection, Suppression, and Recovery
- Outcomes: 2 × "Advanced To" — one links to 8685 (correct); other links to 91583 (mass spectrometer — TechPort data error)
- Library items: 2 (Spinoff 2020 "Zero-Leak Valve" + FO project page)
8685 — SBIR Phase II (predecessor)¶
- Title: Advanced Portable Fine Water Mist Fire Extinguisher for Spacecraft
- Program: SBIR/STTR
- Period: 2010-02-18 to 2012-09-17
- PI: James R Butz (jimb@adatech.com)
- NASA PM: Suleyman Gokoglu (Glenn Research Center)
- Destination: Moon and Cislunar
- Outcomes: Advanced From [12180]; Closed Out Sep 2012
- Partner: Glenn Research Center
Financial Footprint¶
NASA Fire-Suppression Contracts (USASpending)¶
| Contract | Amount | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| NNC07CA18C | $599.6K | 2006–2009 | SBIR Phase II: FWM fire extinguisher for spacecraft |
| NNX09CD15P | $100.0K | 2009 | SBIR Phase I: Advanced FWM nozzles |
| NNX10CA43C | $749.9K | 2010–2012 | SBIR Phase II: FWM replacement for spacecraft (= TechPort 8685) |
| NNJ15HD46P | $120.0K | 2015 | Phase III: Lightweight tanks for Orion PFE |
| NNJ16HD31P | $406.8K | 2016–2017 | Phase III: Lightweight FWM portable fire extinguisher |
| Subtotal | $1.98M | NASA fire-suppression chain |
NASA Other Contracts¶
| Contract | Amount | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC20C0192 | $1.12M | 2020–2023 | Li-S batteries for space applications |
| 80NSSC19C0311 | $125.0K | 2019–2020 | Li-S batteries Phase I |
| NNX11CE52P | $100.0K | 2011 | High pulse power energy capacity |
| NNX11CI35P | $100.0K | 2011–2012 | Fiber-reinforced polymer composites |
| Subtotal | $1.45M | NASA non-fire |
Total NASA tracked: $3.4M ($2.0M fire-suppression + $1.4M batteries/materials)
DoD Contracts (USASpending, $46M+ visible)¶
ADA's primary business. Key categories: - Battery technology: $22M+ across Air Force, Army, Navy, DLA (Li-S, Li-ion thermal management, energy demand reduction, cell manufacturing) - Thermal management: $4.5M+ (thermal interface materials, thermal isolation for batteries) - Surveillance/ISR: $7.9M (clandestine weather system, VIS pod, SOCOM) - Medical/prosthetics: $3.5M (Army medical R&D, DoI prosthetics) - DARPA: $2.3M (Phase II + Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative)
New contracts since Session 34 (2024–2026):
| Contract | Amount | Agency | Period | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W5170125CA047 | $2.0M | Army | 2025–2027 | Battery Focused Open Topic (Direct to Phase II) |
| W5170125CA144 | $1.9M | Army | 2025–2026 | Energy Demand Reduction / Clean Energy Tech |
| FA864925P0368 | $1.8M | Air Force | 2025–2027 | Conformable Li-S battery for UAVs and directed energy weapons |
| SP470126C0016 | $1.0M | DLA | 2025–2026 | BATTNET — Automated Laser Electrode Cutter (ALEC) for cell manufacturing |
| HR001125C0310 | $310K | DARPA | 2025 | Embedded Entrepreneurship Initiative (EEI) |
| W5170124C0103 | $250K | Army | 2024 | SBIR Phase I |
| FA864924P0882 | $110K | Air Force | 2024 | Li-S battery for hypersonic platform avionics |
New contract subtotal: ~$7.4M (2024–2026)
Notable new applications: Li-S batteries for hypersonic vehicles, UAV power, directed energy weapons, and automated cell manufacturing (BATTNET ALEC). DARPA EEI participation signals commercialization push.
Total government portfolio (visible): $49M+
Publications (at least 5)¶
- "Development of the ISS Fine Water Mist Portable Fire Extinguisher" — AIAA ICES 2013 (NTRS 20130011664) — full paper, 15 pages
- "Development of the ISS FWM PFE" — ICES 2012 (NTRS 20120018019)
- "Development of the ISS FWM PFE ICES Abstract" — 2011 (NTRS 20110023202)
- "Testing of a Fine Water Mist PFE in a Representative Spacecraft Atmosphere" — AIAA ICES 2010
- "Fire Suppression Tests Using a Handheld Water Mist Extinguisher Designed for Spacecraft Application" — SUPDET 2012
Patent: US8746357B2 — "Fine water mist multiple orientation discharge fire extinguisher"
Key People¶
- Thierry Carriere — PI on FO flights [12180]; Director of Technology at ADA
- Jim Butz — PI on SBIR [8685]; ADA Technologies
- Andrew Brewer, Norm Haberkorn — ADA team members
- Angel Abbud-Madrid, Cameron Emerson — Colorado School of Mines Centre for Space Resources (test partner, 34% O2 / 8 psia spacecraft environment chamber)
- Amber Abbott, John Easton, Justin Niehaus — NASA Glenn Research Center
- Suleyman Gokoglu — NASA PM (Glenn)
Downstream Impact Assessment¶
ISS Mission Infusion — CONFIRMED¶
FWM PFE was deployed to ISS in December 2015, replacing CO2 extinguishers. This is one of the clearest FO-to-mission infusion stories in the portfolio:
- 6 SBIRs (2004–2012) developed the technology from concept to prototype
- FO parabolic flights (2011–2014) provided the microgravity validation needed for ISS qualification
- ISS launch (Dec 6, 2015 on OA-4) — 13 units planned total to replace all existing CO2 extinguishers (built by Wyle Integrated Science and Engineering under NASA bioastronautics contract)
- FO-to-deployment gap: 1.5 years — among the fastest in the FO portfolio
Orion Adaptation¶
Two Phase III SBIR contracts (2015–2017) adapted the technology for Orion spacecraft. A 2018 NTRS report documents Orion PFE testing against laptop lithium-ion battery fires. The Orion version uses water spray rather than water mist — an evolved design.
Artemis II update (Session 86): Artemis II launched April 1, 2026. The 2018 NTRS report and NASA GRC technology transfer page confirm an Orion PFE was developed from the FWM lineage, plus a zero-leak valve variant. However, no public documentation confirms ADA's specific unit is aboard Artemis II. The Orion PFE development post-2018 is not visible in public sources.
DoD Battery Business (Parallel, Not Caused by FO)¶
ADA's $39M+ DoD portfolio is primarily batteries and thermal management — an independent business line from the fire extinguisher. No causal link between FO work and DoD contracts.
ISS FWM PFE — Operational Maturity (Session 86)¶
No new publications or status updates on ISS FWM units found in 2024–2026. The technology appears fully operational and mature — no longer generating active publications. The replacement of all ISS CO2 PFEs was largely complete by ~2017. No new TechPort projects for ADA Technologies (all 8 existing are Completed). The company has no active NASA work visible.
Commercial Potential (Unrealized)¶
The SBIR Phase II description (project 8685) described extensive commercial plans: halon replacement for airlines, military vehicles, subway trains, museums, data centers. No evidence of commercial sales found. The technology's value was realized through government deployment (ISS, Orion) rather than commercial markets.
TechPort Data Quality Notes¶
- Outcome link error: 12180 "Advanced To" links to 91583 (Laser Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer) — clearly unrelated. Likely a TechPort data entry error.
- Spinoff mismatch: Library item is "Zero-Leak Valve" Spinoff 2020 article, not the fire extinguisher itself. The valve may be a component derived from the FWM system.
- Unit count discrepancy: Session 34 had "9 units planned." Wyle bioastronautics contract source says 13 units to replace all existing CO2 extinguishers. Corrected Session 56.
- Missing ISS deployment record: TechPort has no structured outcome recording the ISS deployment. This is the canonical example of FO's 5% outcome tracking gap — a confirmed ISS deployment that's invisible in metadata.
Key Observation¶
ADA Technologies is one of the strongest FO mission infusion stories — a 10-year SBIR→FO→ISS pipeline with only a 1.5-year gap between FO validation and ISS deployment. Yet in TechPort metadata, this success is invisible: no mission infusion outcome, the Spinoff article is for a different product, and one outcome link points to an unrelated mass spectrometer. The story can only be reconstructed from NTRS papers, USASpending Phase III contracts, and the Colorado School of Mines press release.
This illustrates two things: 1. FO's actual impact far exceeds what TechPort tracks — this is the strongest example yet 2. Phase III SBIR contracts are a reliable signal of real deployment — when you see Phase III, something was procured for actual use
Sources¶
- TechPort 12180 and 8685 (live API, 2026-04-06)
- USASpending.gov awards for ADA Technologies Inc. (queried 2026-04-06)
- Colorado School of Mines: "Mines fire extinguishers destined for Space Station" (minesnewsroom.com, Dec 2015)
- Mines Magazine: "Mines Team Creates Fire Extinguisher for ISS" (minesmagazine.com)
- NASA GRC Technology: "Fine water mist fire suppression system" (technology.grc.nasa.gov)
- NTRS 20130011664: "Development of the ISS FWM PFE" (2013)
- NTRS 20180005251: "Orion Portable Fire Extinguisher Performance Testing" (2018)
- NASA Spinoff 2020: "Zero-Leak Valve Holds Tight in Demanding Environments" (spinoff.nasa.gov)
- Google Patents: US8746357B2 (patents.google.com)
- USASpending.gov: ADA Technologies Inc. new contracts 2024–2026 (queried 2026-04-07, Session 56; re-verified Session 86 — no new contracts beyond those already tracked)
- Artemis II flight status: NASA blogs Apr 2026 (launched Apr 1, 2026; Orion PFE lineage plausible but unconfirmed)