Prime Photonics, LC

Blacksburg, VA · Aerospace · Defunct

Event-based star tracker sensor using neuromorphic camera technology for spacecraft attitude determination

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Updated Oct 23, 2026 · primephotonics.com

Sector: Aerospace
Headquarters: Blacksburg, VA
Total capital: $27.8M

Federal grants: $8.3M; 16 awards · 2015–2023; Rank in peer group#37 of 155
Private capital raised: None on recordNo Form D filings on SEC EDGAR. Some raises are not filed.
Federal contracts: $19.5M; 47 awards · Defense, NASA; Rank in Aerospace#155 of 1335
Granted patents: 4; 5 pending · first 2014; Rank in peer group#41 of 155

Capital timeline

Latest events

Jan 2023Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Zero Foreign Object Damage (FOD): Inlet Debris Monitoring System (IDMS)$799K
Jan 2023Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase II$229K
Dec 2022Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Neuromorphic and Optical Constellation Tracker for Unstable spacecraft Attitude correction (NOCTUA)$150K
Sep 2021Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase I$240K
Jun 2021Federal contractDefense · Kick-off Briefing Materials & Fwa Cert.$140K
May 2021Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Non-Intrusive Fiber-Optic Boundary Layer Profile Measurement System$125K
Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Non-Intrusive Thermo-Structural Characterization of Water-Ice Clouds$125K

Show 56 earlier federal awards

Jun 2020Federal grantEnergy · Phase I · Fiberoptic Pressure Sensor for Austere Environments$200K
Aug 2018Federal contractDefense · Phase II SBIR: Abrams Engine Stall Detection Sensor$999K
Mar 2018Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Non-Contact Torque Sensor for Unmodified Composite Shafts and Non-Ferrous Metal Shafts$500K
Mar 2018Federal contractDefense · Research And Development SBIR Ph II Igf::ot::igf$1.0M
Mar 2018Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Turbomachinery Distortion Characterization by Non-intrusive Measurement Methods$1.8M
Mar 2018Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Research And Development$1.7M
Oct 2017Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Abrams Engine Stall Detection Sensor$999K
May 2017Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Nondestructive Quantification of the Degraded Elastic Modulus and Poisson's Ratio of Impact Damaged Polymer Matrix Composites$150K
Sep 2016Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Modified Acoustic Emission for Prognostic Health Monitoring$748K
Sep 2016Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase I Topic N162-097 Igf::ot::igf$150K
Sep 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Abrams Engine Stall Detection Sensor$149K
Aug 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Miniaturization of a Hybrid Photovoltaic/Magnetothermal Energy Harvester for Solar Aircraft$998K
Jun 2016Federal contractDefense · Progress Report "igf::ot::igf"$150K
Mar 2016Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) technique for Sub-Surface Crack Characterization for Non-Ferrous Metals in Propulsion System Components$1.0M
Jul 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase II · Innovative Foreign Object Damage (FOD) Detection and Identification Technology for Military Turbine Engines$322K
Jun 2015Federal grantNASA · Phase I · High Temperature Multimode Harvester for Wireless Strain Applications$125K
Jun 2015Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf A Variety Of Nondestructive Inspection (ndi) Techniques Are Already Available For Detection Of Small Defects Within Structures. These Techniques, Although Useful, Provide Little Insight In Terms Of The Remaining Useful Life Of Components Or Structures. Furthermore, Ndi Techniques Rely On Statistical Analyses Of Historical Usage Records And Can Often Result In Situations Where Maintenance Schedules Are Occurring More Often Than Necessary To Insure Safe Operation. Intelligent Monitori$125K
Feb 2015Federal grantEnergy · Phase I · Radiation Resistant Fiber Optic Magnetic Field Sensor$150K
Jun 2014Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf FY14 SBIR Phase 1$150K
Jun 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Prime Photonics Proposes Design And Development Of A Surface Acoustic Wave (saw) Based Temperature Gradient Sensor For Instrumentation Of Thermal Protection Systems (tps). This Device Will Utilize A Passive, Wireless Interrogation Approach To Produce A Robust Measurement Platform Compatible With High Temperature Environments.$121K
Apr 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Advances In The Capabilities Of Electronics Have Enabled High Power Density Devices. However, Even In Light Of Advances In Electronics Efficiency Figures, The Increased Power Density Operational Points Result In The Generation Of Excess Heat. In Order To Maintain Efficiency And To Product Sensitive Components From Thermally-induced Failure, Intelligent Rejection Of Thermal Energy Is Often A Critically Limiting Constraint In System Development. Novel Concepts For Thermal Management A$750K
Aug 2013Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf High Temperature Strain Gage For Static And Dynamic Tests$150K
Jul 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf The Team Of Prime Photonics, Virginia Tech, And Utron Kinetics Propose To Develop A Fabrication Technology That Will Result In Drop-in Replacements For A Diminishing Supply Of NASA Fluxgate Magnetometer Ring Cores. Specifically, We Plan To Capitalize On Trends Observed During The Phase I Effort In Terms Of Control Over Material Properties In Bulk, Cobalt-rich Metallic Glass Materials With Increased Permeability, Tunable Curie Temperature, Highly Controlled Coercivity And Saturation $700K
May 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf The Ability To Successfully Manage Thermal Loads Is Increasingly A Primary Design Constraint For Many Emerging Engineered Systems. Systems Ranging From Military Aircraft To Computational Platforms To Photovoltaic (pv) Power Generation All Generate Unwanted Heat And Traditional Methods For Transporting And Removing This Heat Are Often Heavy, Cumbersome, Power Hungry, Or Lack Adequate Heat Removal Capacity. Excess Heat Can Result In Reduced Efficiency In Pv Systems, Limit Duty Cycles$123K
Jan 2013Federal contractDefense · Research And Development SBIR Phase II Topic N112-121$750K
Nov 2012Federal contractDefense · STTR Phase II - Hybrid Energy Harvesting Systems$750K
Aug 2012Federal contractDefense · Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)$484K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · Prime Research Lc (pplc) And Virginia Tech (vt) Propose To Develop An Energy Harvesting Wireless Strain Node Technology That Utilizes Single-crystal Piezoelectric Fiber-based Energy Harvesting, Highly Sensitive And Low Power Piezoresistive Strain Gages, And Ultra Wide-band (uwb) Ultra Low Power Radio Communication. Single Crystal Piezoelectric Fibers Promise To Improve Piezoelectric Harvesting Power Density By A Factor Of 4 5? While The Ultra Wide-band Radio (uwb) And Piezoresistive Strain Gages$125K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · The Team Of Prime Photonics, Virginia Tech, And Utron Kinetics Propose To Demonstrate A Method For Fabrication Of A Bulk, Amorphous, Cobalt-rich Material That Demonstrates Low-noise Magnetic Properties, Superior To Those Of The 6-81.3 Mo-permalloy Family. In Particular, Bulk Cobalt-rich Amorphous Materials Will Provide Increased Permeability, Tunable Curie Temperature, Highly Controlled Coercivity And Saturation Inductance, All Without The Introduction Of Magnetostrictive-based Excess Noise. The$125K
Oct 2011Federal contractDefense · SBIR Pi N112-121 Awd$150K
Aug 2011Federal contractDefense · (STTR Phase I) - Hybrid Energy Harvesting Systems$100K
Jul 2011Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase II N093-185$746K
Feb 2011Federal contractDefense · Wireless Sensor Network Powered By Energy Harvesting Solution Network$100K
Feb 2011Federal contractDefense · High Temperature Blade Health Measurement System Using Focis$100K
Jan 2011Federal contractDefense · Research&development N093-183$1.5M
Dec 2010Federal contractDefense · Warfighter Portable Power Generation Using Heat Pipes$100K
Dec 2010Federal contractDefense · Phase I - Base Period$952K
May 2010Federal contractDefense · Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)$70K
May 2010Federal contractDefense · (STTR Phase 1) Nano-optical Elements For Multi-mode Detectors$100K
Apr 2010Federal contractDefense · All-dielectric Frequency Selective Surfaces For Hpm Applications$747K
Jan 2010Federal contractNASA · Prime Research Lc (prlc), Virginia Tech (vt), And The University Of Texas At Arlington (uta) Propose To Develop An Ultra-low Power Radio/radar Based On A Cmos Ultra-wideband Impulse RADAR (uwir). The System Will Be Highly Compact, Consume Very Little Power, Perform Accurate Ranging And Asset Tracking Capability, And Provide High Capacity Communications. Combined With Prlc's Power Harvesting Technologies, The Prlc/vt/uta Team Will Deliver A High Quality And Robust Product For Space Applications.$100K
Jan 2010Federal contractDefense · R&d SBIR Topic N093-185$150K
Jan 2010Federal contractDefense · Final Report$150K
Oct 2009Federal contractDefense · First Monthly Progress Report$70K
Jul 2009Federal contractDefense · R&d STTR Topic N09-T010$70K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · SBIR 1$100K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · "power Harvesting Wireless Flow Sensor"$99K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · Darpa SBIR Phase I$99K
Jan 2009Federal contractDefense · Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)$743K
Sep 2008Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase II$1.8M
May 2008Federal contractDefense · Research And Development In The Physical, Engineering, And Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractDefense · SBIR I$100K
Oct 2007Federal contractDefense · Final Report And Project Summary For A Phase I SBIR$120K
May 2007Federal contractDefense · R&d SBIR Phase II Topc N05-106$750K
Mar 2007Federal contractDefense · Phase I Photonic Water Quality Sensor Platform$651K
Sep 2006Federal contractDefense · Photonic Sensors For Marine Diesel Engines$737K

Federal awards are summed by year (63 awards); hover a bar for the split. Form D reports securities sold, which can differ from an announced round; filings are numbered in the order they were made.

Standing among 155 peers

Line = median

Aerospace · Orbital_ops · Device

Federal grants#37 · top 24%
Granted patents#41 · top 26%

Cumulative measures favor older companies. Rankings describe position today, not outcome. Below the median, ranks show as a band rather than a number.

Founders and team

No founders are linked to this company yet.

Founders appear once a person is matched to the company through its own patents, grants or filings. We never infer people from social profiles.

Checked: USPTO inventors; federal award principal investigators; SEC Form D related persons · Oct 23, 2026

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What it has protected

USPTO · 4 granted of 9

Jul 13, 2021GrantedMethod And System For Sensing High Resolution Shaft Position And Axial DisplacementUSPTOUS 11,060,932
Aug 6, 2020PendingMethod And System For Measuring Rotation Angle And Torsional Vibration Of A Rotating Body By Way Of Modal InterferenceUSPTOApplication 16855145
Jan 31, 2019PendingMethod And System For Measuring Torque And Torsional Vibration Of A Rotating BodyUSPTOApplication 16047385

Show all 9 patent records

Method And System For Sensing High Resolution Shaft Position And Axial DisplacementJul 13, 2021 · US 11,060,932Granted
Method And System For Measuring Rotation Angle And Torsional Vibration Of A Rotating Body By Way Of Modal InterferenceAug 6, 2020 · Application 16855145Pending
Method And System For Measuring Torque And Torsional Vibration Of A Rotating BodyJan 31, 2019 · Application 16047385Pending
Methods And Systems For Detecting Nonuniformities In A Material, Component, Or StructureJan 8, 2019 · US 10,175,200Granted
Magneto-thermoelectric Generator For Energy HarvestingOct 17, 2017 · US 9,793,829Granted
Anisotropic Magnetodielectric Polymer Matrix Composites And Methods Of ManufactureNov 17, 2016 · Application 15155677Pending
Rotating Stall Detection Using Optical Measurement Of Blade UntwistOct 7, 2014 · US 8,854,626Granted
Improved Optical Blade Clearance ProbeApplication PCTUS2012021295Pending
Crystalline Optical Fiber Sensors For Harsh EnvironmentsApplication PCTUS2005006794Pending

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Regulatory activity · Aerospace

Sector-level, not company-level

06 Jul 2026Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of NASA-Effectuation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964National Aeronautics and Space Administration
01 Jul 2026Special Conditions: AMAC Aerospace, The Boeing Company Model 747- 8 Airplane; Side-Facing SeatsFederal Aviation Administration
26 Jun 2026Standard Instrument Approach Procedures, and Takeoff Minimums and Obstacle Departure Procedures; Miscellaneous AmendmentsFederal Aviation Administration
23 Jun 2026Operating Limitations at John F. Kennedy International AirportFederal Aviation Administration
23 Jun 2026Operating Limitations at New York LaGuardia AirportFederal Aviation Administration
18 Jun 2026Special Conditions: Honeywell Aerospace US LLC, Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 900EX Airplane; Electronic System Security Protection From Unauthorized External AccessFederal Aviation Administration

Rules are matched to sector, not to company. Recent activity in a sector is context rather than a signal about this business — until rules are matched to what a company actually builds, the section is shown as context and nothing more.

Sources

Federal grants from SBIR/STTR, NIH, NSF and DoD records. Federal contracts from USAspending.gov. Private capital from SEC Form D. Patents from USPTO. Publications from OpenAlex. Regulatory activity from the Federal Register. Press matched on company name.

How to read this page

Figures show associations in public records, not causes or predictions. Nothing here is investment advice. An em-dash means no record was found under this company's name, not that none exists.

Data freshness

SEC Form D filings through Oct 23, 2026. SBIR and STTR awards through Oct 21, 2026.