MDA has teamed up with StarFish Medical to design and develop a centrifuge to be used with the MicroPREP lab-on-a-chip for use on the International Space Station. The $5.4 million contract is a result of a collaboration between the Canadian Space Agency and the National Research Council of Canada that began in 2014.
The centrifuge known as the MicroFluidic Sample Preparation (MFSP) Platform “is intended to perform automated extraction of macromolecules from different sample specimens, and produce clean, concentrated samples that are suitable for on-board / in-situ analysis. The equipment will be deployed on the International Space Station (ISS) to support the identification, characterization and mitigation of space related health risks to humans. The MFSP supports Canada’s continued commitment to the ISS and contributes to the enhancement of Canada’s return on ISS investment.”
This contract encompasses Phases A, B and C of the development of MFSP Platform. “The scope of Phases A, B and C is the design of the MFSP System. The MFSP System is composed of a Platform and single-use Cartridge Devices for sample processing. The Platform will be based on a design developed by the National Research Council (NRC) for earth-bound applications. The MFSP is to use single-use Cartridge Devices designed by the NRC. The Contractor will design the Platform to accept the Cartridge Devices provided as Government Furnished Material (GFM). For the purpose of the contract, Canada will share with the Contractor design documentation of the NRC’s (earth-bound version) Platform (Government Furnished Information (GFI)) to ensure integrity of the microfluidic technology. Also, included in Phase C, are the manufacturing and demonstration of functional and performance requirements using Demonstration Models (DM) and an Engineering Model (EM), along with Ground Operations (Command and Data Handling) Software.”
Phase D will see ” the manufacturing, testing, and delivery of one Proto-Flight Model (PFM), a sparing kit of critical components and associated commissioning and maintenance kits, ground commanding and telemetry stations and Ground Support Equipment (GSE). The Phase D scope also includes on-orbit commissioning as well as support to launch, and integration of one PFM into the ISS.”
The contract is for approximately 36 months with Phase A, B and C running for about 20 months, and phase D for 16 months. The total value for the contract including Phase D is for just under $7 million. Phase D (D1 and D2) which is optional, is valued at approximately $2.2 million.
