GOEPPERT, LLC¶
InSPA-Aligned Space Semiconductor Manufacturer + Nanopore Biosensor Company
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| HQ | Philadelphia, PA (UPenn Pennovation Center) |
| Founded | 2017 |
| PI | David J. Niedzwiecki, PhD (Senior Scientist) |
| Core tech | Solid-state nanopores, MoS₂ 2D semiconductor manufacturing |
| FO project | 184143 — MoS₂ microgravity annealing |
| TechPort footprint | 4 projects (3 SBIR/STTR + 1 FO) |
| Federal funding | ~$4.1M across 11 USASpending awards |
| Agencies | NASA ($3.7M), Army ($210K) |
| Strategic alignment | InSPA, CHIPS Act, space semiconductor manufacturing |
Updated: Session 90, 2026-04-07 — No new developments since Session 83. TechPort unchanged (lastUpdated 2026-02-18). USASpending unchanged (~$3.9M NASA across 9 awards + $210K Army = ~$4.1M total). No new publications, contracts, or news. FO project [184143] still active (2025–2028). 7 PhDs confirmed (Pennovation Works Mar 2025). Competitive context: United Semiconductors reserved Starlab payload space for space semiconductor manufacturing (Mar 2026).
The Company¶
GOEPPERT develops nanoscale sensing and semiconductor technologies at UPenn's Pennovation Works incubator. The company was established in 2017 and operates at the intersection of two domains:
- Solid-state nanopore biosensors — portable devices for DNA sequencing, water quality monitoring, disease detection (cancer, Alzheimer's), and life detection on ocean worlds
- MoS₂ 2D semiconductor manufacturing — microgravity-enhanced annealing of molybdenum disulfide for radiation-hardened electronics
The company's vision is an "Earth-space foundry producing specialized two-dimensional semiconductors" — aligning with both NASA's InSPA (In-Space Production Applications) program and the CHIPS Act's goal of strengthening US semiconductor supply chains.
Listed on Factories in Space as a space manufacturing company.
FO Project — MoS₂ Microgravity Annealing¶
184143 — Microgravity-Enhanced Annealing of MoS₂ for Radiation-Hardened Electronics
Period: 2025-06-01 to 2028-04-30
TRL: 3 → 5 (target)
TX: TX12.4.1 Manufacturing Processes
PI: David J. Niedzwiecki
Status: Active
GOEPPERT has built a four-chamber vacuum furnace system that operates at 700°C to anneal MoS₂ semiconductor films. Current ground-based MOCVD growth produces films with small grain sizes (20–50 μm), high grain boundary density, excessive adlayer formation, and sulfur vacancies. Microgravity is expected to improve crystallinity by eliminating sedimentation and convection effects.
FO role: Parabolic flights provide ~30 maneuvers/flight × ~20 seconds microgravity each. The system processes 4 samples simultaneously with synchronized data collection. 8 total samples across 2 flights, with repeated gravity transitions (0g to 1.8g) enabling direct comparison.
Expected outcomes: - 50% grain size increase - >30% adlayer reduction - Enhanced uniformity across 4-inch wafers - Characterization via Raman, AFM, TEM - Data supporting ISS National Lab follow-on proposals
SBIR lineage for MoS₂: - Phase I [125807 equivalent] (80NSSC22PB031): 2022-07 to 2023-01 ($166K) — "Microgravity-Assisted Growth and Defect Engineering of 2D Materials" - Phase III (80NSSC24CA003): 2023-10 to 2024-10 ($994K) — "In-Space Production of MoS₂ for Silicon Back-End-of-Line Integration" - FO [184139]: 2025-06 to 2028-04 ($180K FO contract)
Note: Phase III ($994K) was awarded before Phase II — this is unusual and suggests NASA fast-tracked the commercial potential of the MoS₂ work based on Phase I results. The FO flight test validates the ground-based Phase III work in actual microgravity.
Full TechPort Portfolio (4 projects)¶
Nanopore Biosensors¶
| TechPort ID | Phase | TRL | Description | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 113400 | STTR I | 2→4 | Spacecraft water monitoring with solid-state nanopores | 2021–2022 |
| 154668 | STTR II | 3→5 | New-generation nanopore water monitoring (flight-ready) | 2022–2024 |
Plant Health Sensors¶
| TechPort ID | Phase | TRL | Description | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 158169 | SBIR I | 2→4 | Au-TiO₂-Al₂O₃ nanocomposite multi-analyte plant sensor | 2024–2025 |
MoS₂ Semiconductor + FO¶
| TechPort ID | Phase | TRL | Description | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184143 | FO | 3→5 | Microgravity-enhanced MoS₂ annealing | 2025–2028 |
USASpending Detail ($4.1M total)¶
| Award ID | Amount | Agency | Description | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80NSSC24CA003 | $994K | NASA | MoS₂ Phase III — InSPA silicon BEOL integration | 2023–2024 |
| 80NSSC19C0171 | $900K | NASA | Nanopore life detection — Ocean Worlds (SBIR II) | 2019–2023 |
| 80NSSC23CA014 | $881K | NASA | Nanopore water monitoring (STTR II) | 2022–2026 |
| W911NF26PA001 | $210K | Army | Fentanyl electrochemical nanosensor (Phase I) | 2026-01–2026-07 |
| 80NSSC25PA726 | $180K | NASA | FO flight test contract | 2025–2027 |
| 80NSSC25C0211 | $175K | NASA | SOLARIS — ceramic solar sail (Phase I, FY25) | 2025–2026 |
| 80NSSC25C0210 | $175K | NASA | Lithium niobate wafer fabrication — InSPA (Phase I, FY25) | 2025–2026 |
| 80NSSC22PB031 | $166K | NASA | MoS₂ microgravity Phase I | 2022–2023 |
| 80NSSC24PB325 | $160K | NASA | Au-TiO₂ nanocomposite sensor (Phase I, FY24) | 2024–2025 |
| 80NSSC21C0368 | $131K | NASA | Nanopore water monitoring (STTR I) | 2021–2022 |
| 80NSSC18P2051 | $125K | NASA | Nanopore — Ocean Worlds life detection (Phase I) | 2018–2019 |
Multi-Technology Strategy¶
GOEPPERT is unusual in the FO portfolio: it pursues multiple distinct technology lines simultaneously, each addressing a different NASA need:
- Nanopores → water quality — spacecraft ECLSS monitoring (STTR pipeline, $1.9M)
- MoS₂ → radiation-hardened electronics — InSPA space manufacturing (SBIR + FO, $1.3M)
- Nanocomposite sensors → plant health — space agriculture monitoring (Phase I, $160K)
- Fentanyl sensors → force protection — Army dual-use (Phase I, $210K)
- SOLARIS → solar sail — ceramic reflective materials for propulsion (Phase I, $175K)
- Lithium niobate → InSPA — crystal wafer fabrication for in-space production (Phase I, $175K)
This breadth is characteristic of a small research lab exploring multiple commercialization paths rather than a company with a single product focus. The risk: spreading too thin. The opportunity: one of these product lines hits a large market.
Strategic Context¶
InSPA Alignment¶
GOEPPERT's MoS₂ work aligns directly with NASA's In-Space Production Applications program — the same program that funded Redwire's semiconductor work (Made in Space MSTIC [155254]) and FOMS/Mercury's ZBLAN fiber production. The FO project is the ground-truth validation step: if microgravity produces measurably better MoS₂ films, the business case for orbital semiconductor manufacturing strengthens.
NASA Semiconductor Strategy Recognition¶
GOEPPERT's work was featured in a NASA presentation at the IEEE Texas Semiconductor Summit (April 2025, NTRS 20250002791) — "Microgravity Processing of Semiconductor Materials." Inclusion in this NASA presentation signals that GOEPPERT is part of NASA's official narrative around in-space semiconductor manufacturing, alongside larger programs. The presentation covers MOCVD furnace development and initial terrestrial results demonstrating reproducible wafer-scale MoS₂ films for high-density logic devices.
CHIPS Act Relevance¶
The description explicitly cites the CHIPS Act: "Advances United States semiconductor manufacturing capabilities per CHIPS Act priorities." MoS₂ is a post-silicon material — radiation-hardened, flexible, atomically thin. If orbital annealing produces semiconductor-grade material that can't be made on Earth, this becomes a CHIPS Act-relevant in-space manufacturing capability.
Made in Space / Redwire Comparison¶
Redwire's MSTIC project [155254] demonstrated semiconductor manufacturing on ISS (NG-20, Feb 2024). GOEPPERT is pursuing a different 2D material (MoS₂ vs. thin-film deposition) but the same thesis: microgravity improves semiconductor quality. GOEPPERT is earlier-stage (TRL 3 vs. Redwire's TRL 6+) but targeting a potentially larger market (radiation-hardened electronics for DoD satellites, deep space missions).
Assessment¶
Outcome category: Pre-Commercial Pipeline (InSPA-aligned)
Archetype: Multi-tech research lab seeking breakout product
Confidence: Suggestive (Phase III awarded but no commercial revenue; FO is early-stage validation)
Why this matters for FO: GOEPPERT represents FO's role in the emerging space manufacturing ecosystem. The parabolic flights are the cheapest way to generate the data needed to justify more expensive ISS experiments. If 20 seconds of microgravity per maneuver produces measurably better MoS₂ crystals, the ISS National Lab proposal writes itself.
Risk factors: - Very early stage (TRL 3) - Multi-technology strategy may dilute focus - No commercial revenue identified - Space semiconductor market is still speculative - Competing with much larger players (Redwire, Applied Space)
Timeline¶
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Company founded at UPenn Pennovation |
| 2018 | First NASA SBIR — nanopore Ocean Worlds life detection |
| 2019 | Nanopore SBIR Phase II ($900K) |
| 2021 | STTR Phase I — spacecraft water monitoring |
| 2022 | MoS₂ Phase I; STTR Phase II — nanopore water monitoring |
| 2023 | MoS₂ Phase III ($994K) — fast-tracked InSPA application |
| 2024 | Au-TiO₂ sensor Phase I; nanopore STTR completed (TRL 5) |
| 2025 Apr | IEEE Texas Semiconductor Summit — NASA presents GOEPPERT's MoS₂ work (NTRS 20250002791) |
| 2025 Jun | FO flight test begins; 2 new Phase I awards (SOLARIS, LiNbO₃); Army fentanyl sensor |
| 2028 | FO project completion target |
Competitive Landscape (Session 90)¶
United Semiconductors reserved payload space on Starlab (Voyager Space) for commercial-scale in-space semiconductor manufacturing (announced Mar 2026). This is the most concrete competitor signal for orbital semiconductor production. Goeppert's MoS₂ approach is differentiated (2D materials vs. conventional wafer processing) but the market is forming around larger, better-funded players.
Open Questions¶
- ~~How many researchers/employees does GOEPPERT have?~~ Resolved: 7 PhDs confirmed (Pennovation Works profile, Mar 2025).
- Has the Phase III MoS₂ work produced publications or material characterization data?
- What is the relationship with UPenn's Singh Center for Nanotechnology? Niedzwiecki works there but the nature of the affiliation is unclear.
- Has the nanopore water monitoring system been tested in flight environments?
- NEW (Session 90): How does Goeppert's MoS₂ approach compare to United Semiconductors' Starlab plans? Different material systems but competing for the same "space semiconductor" narrative.
See also: Made in Space / Redwire (semiconductor manufacturing comparison), CisLunar Industries (another InSPA-adjacent FO company)