April 27, 2016 – NASA awarded a contract for developing a vapor hydrogen peroxide sterilization system for contamination control to Skyhaven Systems’ principals. NASA mission planners continue to develop plans for investigating celestial bodies including Europa, Enceladus, and Mars for potential life detection. Contamination Control and Planetary Protection requirements focus on both forward and backward contamination from such bodies where a number of acceptable processes have been developed for sterilizing spacecraft hardware and sample return materials. In particular for backward contamination control, NASA has shown that vaporized hydrogen peroxide is an effective method for sterilizing samples and surfaces. However, for long duration exploration missions, stored hydrogen peroxide solutions lose their efficacy. To ensure an effective vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilization process for return trips, Skyhaven Systems’ principals are developing a miniaturized vapor hydrogen peroxide generator that produces this sterilant in situ using only water and DC electrical energy. With this approach, surfaces and sample return materials can be effectively sterilized during sample collection using a NASA approved sterilant.

Non-Government, commercial opportunities for the hydrogen peroxide generator may be directed toward medical equipment sterilization. Integrating this generator into sterilizers will enable fresh hydrogen peroxide to be generated overcoming storage concerns that can lead to a loss of efficacy over time. Additionally, recurring sterilization costs would be reduced for the operators using on-demand generated hydrogen peroxide rather than using resupply of hydrogen peroxide cartridges.  Toward a more effective sterilization system, Skyhaven’s hydrogen peroxide generator may be combined with a comparable ozone generator Skyhaven produces. Both hydrogen peroxide and ozone are effective sterilants in themselves, however, combining the two sterilants together produces hydroxyl radicals that are extremely effective for sterilization processes.  This combined hydrogen peroxide and ozone sterilization system would compete favorably to existing hydrogen peroxide/gas plasma sterilization systems that create powerful hydroxyl radicals as well.