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Science Defense Space Astronomy Tech Energy Physics Newsletter Submissions About Image Credit: Casimir, Inc. Air Force Research Lab’s Innovation Unit SpaceWERX Funds Controversial Vacuum Energy Company Casimir Christopher Plain · August 28, 2026 Casimir Inc., a technology startup that made headlines with its controversial vacuum energy chip, MicroSparc, has received a financial award from the United States Air Force Research Lab’s SpaceWERX to advance the technology toward practical defense applications. According to a company statement , the Phase I award, part of the Department of the Air Force’s (DAF) broader Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program, will fund Casimir to explore the technical viability of its vacuum energy chip, which The Debrief previously revealed exclusively . Although a Phase I award does not guarantee future financial support, the new ‘proof-of-concept and potential’ award could put Casimir in line for future Phase II and Phase III awards from SpaceWERX , depending on the success of this phase. The company told The Debrief that Casimir’s goal “remains full commercialization of MicroSparc by 2028.” SpaceWERX Award Will Assess Feasibility of Casimir’s MicroSparc Technology According to the SpaceWERX site , STTR Phase I grants are awarded to companies to “prove the technical merit and commercial viability of your innovative idea.” “SpaceWERX manages the United States Space Force’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, awarding contracts to startups and small businesses developing technologies with commercial and defense applications that strengthen the U.S. defense industrial base since 2019,” the SpaceWERX site explained. Although Casimir did not provide financial or timeline specifics, SpaceWERX guidelines indicate these awards typically range from $75K to $180K and last three to 12 months. As an “Open Topic” award, Casimir’s work will also include what the SpaceWERX site describes as “a critical customer discovery phase.” The company said the new award will allow the team to focus on “developing Casimir’s fully independent solid-state generator to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).” “The Phase I work is focused on validating Casimir’s independent solid-state generator design against DAF requirements for systems operating in remote or hard-to-service environments,” a company spokesperson told The Debrief . “This is especially notable because it expresses a desire and need for Casimir’s tech in mission-critical environments.” “The Underlying Physics” Are Not New Former NASA Eagleworks researcher and Casimir co-founder Dr. Harold G. “Sonny” White later pursued research involving engineered Casimir cavities at the Limitless Space Institute, including work supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). “This concept became a central part of our DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) research effort at the Limitless Space Institute, where DARPA funded early theoretical and experimental investigations into custom Casimir cavity structures and their interaction with the quantum vacuum,” White previously told The Debrief . Although the company previously said it already has functioning prototypes, many scientists have challenged the technology’s validity, with some labeling the MicroSparc a “perpetual motion” machine that violates the laws of physics. When describing the concept to The Debrief , Dr. White seemed to anticipate those criticisms, noting that MicroSparc takes advantage of established quantum physics principles, clarifying that the technology does not violate basic physics principles. “The underlying physics itself is not new,” White told The Debrief . Instead, the former NASA scientist noted that the Casimir effect “has been part of established quantum mechanics since the mid-20th century and has been experimentally verified by laboratories around the world.” MicroSparc, he explained, is based on that science. MicroSparc, White argues, builds on that established physics, although the company’s much more consequential claim—that its device can produce continuous usable electrical power from the quantum vacuum—has not been independently demonstrated. “In our device, the quantum vacuum outside the cavity walls vigorously stimulates electrons in the wall atoms,” Dr. White previously told The Debrief . “Occasionally, an electron will quantum tunnel from the wall to one of the central pillars.” By Emok – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4275811 For clarification, quantum tunneling is a well-established quantum phenomenon in which a particle has a finite probability of crossing an energy barrier that it could not overcome according to classical physics. The effect has been repeatedly demonstrated experimentally and underlies technologies ranging from scanning tunneling microscopes to semiconductor devices. “Once inside the protected cavity, the environment is far quieter, (so) the probability of the electron tunneling back to the wall is orders of magnitude lower,” White told The Debrief . White said this phenomenon creates a one-way flow of electrons toward the pillars, a process he compared to “a kind of quantum ratchet.” By fabricating millions of these microscopic cavities on a single chip, White said his team was able to produce “a continuous electrical current drawn from the quantum vacuum.” Refining the Vacuum Energy Concept for a Fully Independent Generator When discussing the significance of the award, especially given the controversial nature of vacuum energy concepts, the company told The Debrief that the award is “a signal to the market and community that this tech is pivotal and up-and-coming…now with gov’t resources.” See Also Physicists Reveal Possible Connection Between “Warp Drive” Spacecraft and Phenomena Detailed in Recent Pentagon Releases Dr. White agreed, noting that “This Phase I award is an important step in exploring how Casimir’s solid-state power technology could support national security missions where persistent, reliable power is essential.” “As a producer of quantum energy technology, this project will allow the Casimir team to refine the concept for a fully independent generator while working with potential customers to better understand the requirements of systems operating in austere and difficult-to-service environments.” Moving forward, the company told The Debrief that its goal remains targeting commercial availability of Casimir’s MicroSparc chip by 2028, “positioning the company to disrupt the ultra-low-power electronics sector.” “The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018, which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded, and now, in August 2026, Casimir will continue its journey to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America,” the company’s statement explained. “Much of modern electronics is constrained by batteries , charging cycles, wiring, maintenance, or environmental limitations,” Dr. White told The Debrief . “If this technology scales successfully, its long-term implications could extend from ultra-low-power sensors and consumer electronics to remote infrastructure, defense systems, and eventually space applications, where persistent power is especially valuable.” Although Phase I STTR awards are a necessary step toward larger Phase II and Phase III awards, which are designed to take emerging technologies proven in Phase I to the market, the company told The Debrief, “it’s way too soon” to realistically think about those steps, while acknowledging the possibility “down the line.” Details on the technology are available on Casimir’s Website . Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X , learn about his books at plainfiction.com , or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org . Previous Article What Happens After the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Historic Launch? Next Article The Classified Roots of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: How a Spy Agency’s Secret Satellite Became a Space Observatory Related Posts The Classified Roots of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope: How a Spy Agency’s Secret Satellite Became a Space Observatory Astronomy Breaking News Space Air Force Research Lab’s Innovation Unit SpaceWERX Funds Controversial Vacuum Energy Company Casimir Breaking News Energy Physics What Happens After the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s Historic Launch? 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