SOUTHWEST SCIENCES INC

Santa Fe, NM · Clean tech · Private

Field instrumentation for unattended measurement of greenhouse gas (nitrous oxide and methane) fluxes in ecosystems

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Updated Oct 23, 2026 · swsciences.com

Sector: Clean tech
Headquarters: Santa Fe, NM
Total capital: $23M

Federal grants: $9.2M; 21 awards · 2008–2025; Rank in peer group#2 of 12
Private capital raised: None on recordNo Form D filings on SEC EDGAR. Some raises are not filed.
Federal contracts: $13.8M; 61 awards · Defense, NASA, Commerce; Rank in Clean tech#6 of 914
Granted patents: 1; first 2016; Rank in peer group#6 of 12

Capital timeline

Latest events

Sep 2025Federal contractNASA · SBIR Phase I - Compact Low Power Sensor For Measurement Of Multiple Trace Gases$150K
Sep 2025Federal grantNASA · Phase I · SBIR Phase I - Compact Low Power Sensor For Measurement Of Multiple Trace Gases$150K
Sep 2024Federal contractAgriculture · Open Path Nitrous Oxide Analyzer$198K
Aug 2024Federal contractNASA · FY24 SBIR Phase I- High Speed Measurements Of Velocity, Temperature And Water Content In Hypersonic Flows$150K
Jul 2024Federal grantNASA · Phase I · FY24 SBIR Phase I- High Speed Measurements Of Velocity, Temperature And Water Content In Hypersonic Flows$150K
Jul 2021Federal contractEnvironmental Prot · Tunable Diode Laser Instrument For Unmanned Aircraft Systems$147K
Feb 2021Federal grantEnergy · Phase I · Low Power Instrumentation for Measurement of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Terrestrial-Aquatic Interfaces$250K

Show 74 earlier federal awards

Aug 2020Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Real Time Ethylene Monitor for Plant Growth Management$125K
Aug 2019Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Imaging, Filtered Light Scattering Velocity Diagnostic$125K
Aug 2019Federal contractNASA · Multigas Diode Laser Instrument For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles$125K
Jul 2019Federal contractDefense · Research And Development$145K
May 2019Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Diode Laser Sensor for Contaminants in Hydrogen Fuel$1M
Mar 2019Federal contractDefense · Oxygen System Development$1.9M
Jul 2018Federal contractNASA · Gas Inlet Sensor For Measuring Dust Particle Size Distribution And Concentration$124K
Jul 2018Federal contractNASA · This Phase I SBIR Project Will Investigate The Feasibility Of A Miniature Atomic Magnetometer, Both As A Stable Scalar Device For Calibrating Fluxgate Magnetometers In Flight And Also As A Vector Device Capable Of Complimenting Fluxgate Magnetometers. Missions To Europa Will Seek To Confirm That Moon S Underground Sea By Measuring Europa S Effect On Jupiter S Magnetic Field. Meeting This Science Goal Requires A Very Stable Magnetometer. The Helium Vector-scalar Magnetometer Is A Mature Technolog$125K
Jul 2018Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Detection of Radio Frequency and Magnetic Field Bioeffects in Living Cells$150K
Apr 2018Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Compact CO2 Instrumentation for Small Aerial Platforms$750K
Jul 2017Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Standoff Detection of Radiological Materials using Light Filaments$1M
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · CubeSat Magnetometer$125K
Jun 2017Federal grantNASA · Phase I · Novel Sensor for Wind Tunnel Calibration and Characterization$125K
Jun 2017Federal contractDefense · Igf::ot::igf Onr SBIR Phase I$125K
Apr 2017Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Portable nitrous oxide sensor for understanding agricultural and soil emissions$1M
Sep 2016Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf The Goal Of This Phase III - Iie Project Is To Build A Prototype Infrared Diode Laser-based Sensor For Specific Detection Of Formaldehyde And Then Integrate It Into A Nanorack For Flight Testing On The Iss. A Second, Ground-based, Engineering Development Unit (edu) Will Be Delivered To Jsc As Well. Much Of The Hardware (optical Cell And Dsp Control) And Software Required To Accomplish These Goals Derive Directly From The Original Glenn Phase II SBIR (NASA Contract NNX13CC08C). The $40K
Jul 2016Federal contractCommerce · Igf::ot::igf "other Functions" - This Award Is For The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II For FY2015'S Program Announcement For The Technology Partnerships Office Under The Office Of Atmospheric Research In Silver Spring, Md. This Award Is For Proposal 15-2-011 A Project Titled "portable High Precision Nitrogen Gas Analyzer For Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements."$400K
Jun 2016Federal contractInterior · Igf::ot::igf High Dynamic Range Atomic Magnetic Gradiometer.$100K
Apr 2016Federal grantNASA · Phase II · Instrument for Airborne Measurement of Carbonyl Sulfide$750K
Apr 2016Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Diode Laser Sensor for Contaminants in Hydrogen Fuel$1M
Sep 2015Federal contractCommerce · Igf::ot::igf "other Functions" - This Award Is For The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I For FY2015'S Program Announcement For The Technology Parternships Office Under The Office Of Atmospheric Research In Silver Spring, Md This Award Is For Proposal 15-1-011 A Project Titled "portable High Precision Nitrogen Gas Analyzer For Eddy Covariance Flux Measurements."$95K
Jul 2015Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Southwest Sciences, Inc., In Conjunction With Dr. Ariel Macatangay At The NASA Johnson Space Center (jsc), Propose To Develop An In-situ, Real-time Formaldehyde Gas Analyzer For The International Space Station (iss), With The Phase III Funding Requested In This Proposal To Be Matched By Phase Ii-e SBIR Funds Obtained From NASA Glenn Research Center (grc). This Project Would Be Completed In Twelve Months For A Cost Of $125,000 For Each Of The Two Funding Portions. The Goal Of This Ph$125K
Jul 2015Federal grantDefense · Phase I · Surface Deformation Measurements Using Light Modulation Imaging$150K
Jul 2015Federal contractDefense · Igf::ct::igf DOD 2015.A Ultrafast Multispecies Gas Sensor For Combusting Flows$80K
Jun 2015Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Southwest Sciences Proposes To Develop Small, Low Power Instrumentation For The Real-time Direct Measurement Of Carbonyl Sulfide (ocs) In The Atmosphere, Especially Targeting Airborne Measurements. The Instrument Will Be Based On A Recently Introduced Room Temperature Interband Cascade Laser (icl) Operating In The 4830 Nm Region. This Laser Has A Substantially Reduced (by A Factor Of Approximately 12) Power Requirement Than Quantum Cascade Lasers Operating In The Same Region And Sho$125K
Jun 2015Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Southwest Sciences Inc. (sws), In Collaboration With The Southwest Research Institute (swri), Will Develop A Reliable, Ultra Compact, Low Power Diode Laser Multigas Sensor To Measure Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Ammonia (NH3), Oxygen (O2) And Water Vapor (H2O) Concentrations In The Presence Of Saturated And Condensable Water Concentrations Appropriate For Nasa's Portable Life Support System (plss). A High Sensitivity Optical Absorption Technique Known As Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy $123K
May 2015Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf An Aircraft System For Detecting Ambient Methane Will Be Developed In This Project. The System Will Use A Diode Laser To Perform A Wavelength Modulation Absorption Measurement Of This Greenhouse Gas. The Optical System Will Feature A Open Path System That Is Mounted Outside The Aircraft. The System Will Make Measurements At A 10 Hz Rate.$755K
Apr 2015Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Diamond Sensor For The Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Experiment$1M
Apr 2015Federal grantEnergy · Phase II · Standoff Detection Of Radiological Materials Using Light Filaments$1M
Feb 2015Federal grantEnergy · Phase I · Diode Laser Sensor for Contaminants in Hydrogen Fuel$155K
Jun 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Over The Past Decade, The Importance Of Understanding The Sources And Sinks Of Carbon Dioxide And Other Greenhouse Gases Has Been Recognized. A Variety Of Research Studies Funded By NASA, DOE And Noaa To Measure The Fluxes Of CO2 From Average Conditions Have Been Performed. In Particular, Flux Measurements Of CO2 In The Boundary Layer Are Critical Toward Understanding The Carbon Budget For This Important Greenhouse Gas. The World Meteorological Organization Has Met Its Goal Of 0.1 P$125K
Jun 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf A Compact, Lightweight, And Low Power Diode Laser Sensor Will Be Developed For Atmospheric Methane Detection On Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (uavs). The Physical Specifications Of This Sensor Will Be Considerably Smaller Than Current NASA Laser Sensors. The Smaller Sensor Specifications Will Enable Use Of Carrier Uavs That Are Similiar In Size To A Large Model Aircraft. Using Smaller Uavs For Measurements Will Result In Large Cost Savings. The Proposed Sensor Will Use An Open Path$122K
Jun 2014Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igfsouthwest Sciences Proposes To Develop Small, Lightweight, Low Power Instrumentation For The In Situ Balloon-borne Measurement Of Several Trace Gases Of Importance In The Atmosphere Of Venus. Using Low Power Vertical Cavity Diode Lasers(vcsels)at Carefully Selected Wavelengths In The 2400 Nm Region, The Instrument Will Be Capable Of Simultaneous Measurements Of Carbon Monoxide, Water Vapor, Hydrogen Fluoride, Carbonyl Sulfide, And Possibly Sulfur Dioxide. The Phase I Effort Will Conc$125K
Jun 2014Federal grantAgriculture · H2S And CH4 Air Quality Monitor$100K
May 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf Ensuring A Safe Air Environment In Manned Spacecraft Is Critical To The Success Of All Missions. Exposure To Hazardous Chemical Species Threatens The Well-being Of The Crew And Prevents Them From Fulfilling Their Tasks. While A Wide Variety Of Sensors Currently Are Available To Monitor Such Chemicals On The Iss, Some Of These Sensors Are Inadequate. In Particular For One Important Species, Formaldehyde, Southwest Sciences Proposes To Develop A Sensor That Can Provide Continuous, Re$125K
May 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf This Phase I Research Project Will Investigate A Novel Method Of Operating An Atomic Magnetometer To Simultaneously Measure Total Magnetic Fields And Vector Magnetic Fields. Magnetometry Has Provided Critical Scientific Information Throughout The History Of Space Exploration. The Ideal Magnetic Sensor For Space Applications Would Be One Which Shares The Advantages Of The Fluxgate (vector Precision, Robust Operation) With The Precision And Absolute Accuracy Of The Atomic Magnetomete$125K
May 2013Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf The Development Of Rocket-based And Turbine-based Combined Cycle Engines Are A High Priority For Transportation Into Space. In Order To Test Components And Systems, And Certify Life Cycles For These Engines, Non-intrusive Flow Diagnostics Are Required. In Particular, High-speed Measurements Of Pressure, Velocity, And Temperature Profiles Across Both Inlet And Outlet Ducts Of These Engines Would Provide A Better Understanding Of Engine Performance. Southwest Sciences, Inc. Proposes T$125K
Dec 2012Federal contractNASA · Igf::ot::igf - The Compound Specific Analyzer Combustion Products, Used On The International Space Station As A Warning Monitor Of Smoldering Or Combustion Events, Is Being Phased Out Of Service. Southwest Sciences Inc. Proposes To Develop A Replacement Laser-based Analyzer Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopic Absorption. This Device Would Be Capable Of Real-time Measurements Of The Four Most Important Gases Of Interest Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Dioxide, Hydrogen Cyanide, And Hydrogen Fluorid$825K
Oct 2012Federal contractDefense · Darpa SBIR Phase I, Entitled, "magnetic Field Microscope Based On Nitrogen-vacancy(nv)centers In Diamond".$100K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · Naturally Occurring In The Stratosphere, Ozone Plays A Significant Role In Many Atmospheric Reactions, Cloud Formation, And Is The Key Player In Shielding Harmful Uv Radiation. In The Troposphere, It Is A Criteria Pollutant Produced Via Photochemical Smog Reactions, And Is Key In The Formation Of Organic Aerosols From Vocs. A Better Understanding On The Distribution Of Ozone And Its Influences On Cloud Droplet Formation Is Needed In Order To Better Predict The Radiation Balance Of The Earth In C$125K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · This Phase I SBIR Project Will Investigate A New, Low-cost Approach To Atomic Magnetometry That Is Suited For Operation From Uavs And Research Balloons. Atomic Magnetometers Have Been Available For Decades, But They Remain Expensive And Relatively Power-hungry, Restricting Their Use To A Small Range Of Platforms. The Proposed Approach Should Result In A Magnetometer Selling At A Cost Point Significantly Below That Of Conventional Atomic Magnetometers That Can Be Deployed On Uavs And Stratospheri$125K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · Isotopic Analysis Of Carbon Dioxide Is An Important Tool For Characterization Of The Exchange And Transformation Of Carbon Between The Biosphere And The Atmosphere. These Measurements Require Highly Accurate And Precise Instruments That Are Capable Of Providing Isotopic Abundances To Discriminate Between Man-made And Natural Carbon Sources. Laser-based Isotopic Measurements Offer The Earth Science Research Community An Opportunity To Gather Critical Information On The Generation And Fate Of Carb$125K
Feb 2012Federal contractNASA · The Compound Specific Analyzer - Combustion Products Is Used On The International Space Station As A Warning Monitor Of Smoldering Or Combustion Events And, After Any Fire Event, To Indicate That Toxic Gas Levels Have Subsided For Safe Re-entry Of The Crew To The Affected Area. This Monitor Is Being Phased Out Of Service. Southwest Sciences Inc. Proposes To Develop A Replacement Laser-based Sensor Using Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopic Absorption. This Device Would Be Capable Of Real-time Me$125K
Dec 2011Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase I - (O112-H09-3100 )$150K
Nov 2011Federal contractNASA · Atmspectrum Hitran Simulation Software Package Upgrade.$6K
Oct 2011Federal contractDefense · SBIR I - Inlet Unstart Detector$100K
Sep 2011Federal contractDefense · STTR Phase I$100K
Jun 2011Federal contractNASA · We Propose To Continue The Development Of A Rugged, Compact, And Automated Instrument For The High Sensitivity Measurement Of Tropospheric Carbon Monoxide (co) And Methane. The Application Of Recently Developed Room Temperature Vertical Cavity Diode Lasers (vcsels)operating Near 2300 Nm Permits The Development Of Sensitive And Rugged Instrumentation For Measurement Of Both Atmospheric Co And Methane With High Precision. Phase 1 Efforts Successfully Addressed The Feasibility Of Measuring Co To A $600K
Feb 2011Federal contractNASA · Knowing Atmospheric 13CO2/12CO2 Ratios Precisely Is Important To Understanding Biogenic And Anthroprogenic Sources And Sinks For Carbon. Currently Available Field Deployable Instrumentation Have Unfavourable Attributes Such As High Power Requirements, Are Extremely Expensive, Are Too Large, Are Not Proven Or Designed To Run Continuously Or Unattended For Extended Periods, And/or Are Unable To Properly Compensate For Nature Pressure, Temperature And Moisture Variations. Southwest Sciences Propose$100K
Feb 2011Federal contractDefense · Scientific Research Services$70K
Sep 2010Federal contractDefense · R&d SBIR Topic N102-134$80K
Jan 2010Federal contractNASA · TAS::80 0119::TAS Southwest Sciences Proposes Development Of Gas Filter Correlation (gfc) Spectroscopy Using Non-periodic Gratings For Spaceborne And Airborne Deployment. Our Proposed Technology Will Result In Smaller, Lighter Weight, Lower Power, And More Rugged Instrumentation Than Is Possible Using Established Gfc Spectrometers. The Approach Is Based On The Development Of Non-periodic Diffraction Gratings That Replace The Reference Gas Cells Used In Gfc Spectrometers.$100K
Jan 2010Federal contractNASA · Southwest Sciences Proposed The Development Of A Rugged, Compact, And Automated Instrument For The High Sensitivity Measurement Of Tropospheric Carbon Monoxide (co). The Application Of Recently Developed Room Temperature Vertical Cavity Diode Lasers Operating Near 2300 Nm Permits The Development Of Sensitive And Rugged Instrumentation For Measurement Of Atmospheric Co With High Precision. Phase I Efforts Will Address The Feasibility Of Measuring Co To A Precision Of 10 Parts-per-billion Or Bette$100K
Nov 2009Federal contractNASA · Understanding The Sources And Sinks Of Carbon Dioxide And Other Greenhouse Gases Has Been Recognized As Critical To Predicting Climate Change And Global Warming. A Variety Of Research Studies Funded By DOE, NSF, NASA And Noaa To Measure The Fluxes And Fluctuations Of CO2 Profiles Throughout The Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere Have Provided A Great Deal Of Useful Information, But The Instrumentation Used Has Been Restricted To Airplane Or Large Stratospheric-type Balloon Gondola Platforms Wher$600K
Jul 2009Federal contractNASA · Software Package$15K
Jun 2009Federal contractCommerce · Recovery SBIR Phase II Award TAS::13 0549::TAS Arra::yes::arra$300K
Apr 2009Federal contractDefense · SBIR Phase I Topic N091-029$80K
Apr 2009Federal contractDefense · Darpa SBIR Phase II$747K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · Af SBIR I - AF083-120 Array Detector For Gas$100K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · Advanced Diagnostics For Detonation-powered Vehicles$100K
Mar 2009Federal contractDefense · Nondestructive Evaluation Of Silicon Nitride Rolling Elemen$100K
Jan 2009Federal contractNASA · Self-calibrating Greenhouse Gas Balloon-borne Sensor Over The Past Decade, The Importance Of Understanding The Sources And Sinks Of Carbon Dioxide And Other Greenhouse Gases Has Been Recognized. In Particular, Airborne Measurements Of CO2 Profiles Throughout The Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere Have Provided A Great Deal Of Useful Information, But The Instrumentation Used Has Been Restricted To Airplane Or Large Stratospheric-type Balloon Gondola Platforms Due To The Size, Weight And Power Re$100K
Nov 2008Federal contractDefense · STTR (phase II) - Versatile Dense Pattern Optical Multipass Cell$750K
Aug 2008Federal contractVeterans Affairs · Small Purchase Data$404
Jul 2008Federal contractCommerce · SBIR Phase I Award$90K
May 2008Federal contractDefense · Monolithic Quantum Dot Mode-locked Laser For Arbitrary Waveform Generation$750K
May 2008Federal grantAgriculture · Instrumentation For Measurement Of Hydrogen Sulfide Concentrations And Emissions In Animal Manure Management Systems$80K
Feb 2008Federal contractNASA · Mirage Fire Sensor For Spacecraft$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractDefense · SBIR I: Proposal F073-117-0658$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractNASA · Magnetometer For Calibrating Jovian Fields$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractNASA · Monitoring And Controlling Blade Tip Clearance Of High Pressure Turbines Are Important For Maintaining The Integrity Of The Engine During Its Operating Points And Life Cycle. Operating The Engine With Minimum Tip Clearance Provides Several Benefits Such As Increased Turbine Efficiency, Reduced Emissions And Extended Service Life. Southwest Sciences Proposes An Innovative Technology Based On Optical Fourier Domain Reflectometry For Near Real-time Tip-clearance Measurement With An Accuracy Of 10 M$100K
Jan 2008Federal contractNASA · Fast Temperature Sensor For Use In Atmospheric Sciences$100K
Oct 2007Federal contractDefense · Darpa SBIR Phase I$99K
Nov 2005Federal contractDefense · 200602!101413!1700!N68335!NAVAL Air Engineering Station !N6833506C0042 !a!n! !y! ! !20051114!20070531!153579891!153579891!153579891!N!SOUTHWEST Sciences Inc !1570 Pacheco St Ste E11 !santa Fe !NM!87505!70500!049!35!SANTA Fe !santa Fe !new MEXICO!+000000375000!N!N!000000500624!AC62!RDTE/ELECTRONICS & Communication Eq-applied Resea !A7 !electronics And Communication Equip !000 !not Discernable !541710!E! !3! ! ! ! ! !999$847K

Federal awards are summed by year (81 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.

1 record has no date or no amount, so it isn’t placed on the timeline.

Standing among 12 peers

Line = median

Clean tech · Instrument

Federal grants#2 · top 17%
Granted patents#6 · top 50%

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 · 1 granted of 1

Dec 13, 2016GrantedMethods For Detecting Bacterial InfectionsUSPTOUS 9,518,972

PHYSICAL SCIENCES INC.Shares a founder: SHIN-JUH CHEN
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Antares Group IncorporatedSimilar federal contract value in Clean tech · $15.9M in contracts
ITN ENERGY SYSTEMS, INC.Similar federal contract value in Clean tech · $13.7M in contracts
PLIANT ENERGY SYSTEMS INCSimilar federal contract value in Clean tech · $12.8M in contracts

Regulatory activity · Clean tech

Sector-level, not company-level

09 Jul 2026Air Plan Approval; Michigan; Redesignation and Maintenance Plan for the Partial St. Clair 2010 1-Hour Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) NAAQS Nonattainment AreaEnvironmental Protection Agency
02 Jul 2026Air Plan Approval; Delaware; 2006 24-Hour Fine Particulate Matter Limited Maintenance Plan for the Philadelphia Nonattainment AreaEnvironmental Protection Agency
02 Jul 2026Air Plan Approval; Oklahoma; Updates to the State Implementation Plan for New Source Review Permitting and General SIP ProvisionsEnvironmental Protection Agency
30 Jun 2026Epyrifenacil; Pesticide TolerancesEnvironmental Protection Agency
30 Jun 2026Fluoxapiprolin; Pesticide TolerancesEnvironmental Protection Agency
30 Jun 2026Chlormequat Chloride; Pesticide TolerancesEnvironmental Protection Agency

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.