SBIR Phase I: An Interplanetary Smallsat for Fast Connectivity, Navigation, and Positioning

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目寻求在环月和深空部署一个商业空间平台，为空间用户提供快速连接、导航和定位。这个环月网络将包括近地轨道、地球同步轨道和月球轨道上的节点，以创建一个安全和隐蔽的千兆网络，用于科学、商业和军事应用。该项目将开发一种革命性的航天器，它将成为新网络的核心。该产品将是一个小型但灵活的航天器，它使用激光、一种新颖的架构和机器学习软件来提供对其周围环境的高数据率全方位覆盖。该公司计划将这颗卫星的集群作为网络节点。据设想，空间用户可以使用这些星际小卫星(及其网络)在环月和深空进行千兆连接以及准确的导航和定位。该项目将开发一种嵌入光通信系统的新型小卫星。它将配备两个不同的光通信终端，一个用于远程连接，另一个用于短距离、集群连接。这颗小卫星的远程终端由六个均匀分布在航天器主体周围的光学收发器组成，以提供全方位的覆盖。收发机将完全集成到一个快速处理器中，并由其控制。这颗小卫星将采用相干调制结构，工作频率约为1550纳米。该项目中要进行的发射机设计包括分布式反馈激光二极管、相位调制器、光放大、环行器和准直器。所有这些部件都将通过光纤连接起来。种子激光将产生10毫瓦的激光光束，该光束通过相位调制器，在那里以高速(10-100吉比特每秒)进行调制。在调制器之后，调制后的光束通过光学放大器被提升，并通过准直器产生准直的高功率光束。准直器将光束发射到自由空间，并将其导向转向镜，以覆盖其视场。据设想，该系统可以实现高达每秒100千兆位的传输速度。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to deploy a commercial space platform in cislunar and deep space to provide fast connectivity, navigation, and positioning to space users. This cislunar network will include nodes in low-Earth Orbit, Geosynchronous orbit and Lunar orbit to create a secure and covert gigabit network for scientific, commercial, and military applications. This project will develop a revolutionary spacecraft that will be the heart of the new network. This product will be a small yet nimble spacecraft that uses lasers, a novel architecture, and machine learning software to provide high-data-rate omnidirectional coverage of its surroundings. The company plans to place clusters of this satellite as network nodes. It is envisioned that space users can use these interplanetary small satellites (and their network) for gigabit connectivity as well as accurate navigation and positioning in cislunar and deep space.This project will develop a novel small satellite with embedded optical communications systems. It will be equipped with two distinct optical communications terminals, one for long-range connectivity and the second one for short-range, swarm connectivity. The small satellite’s long-range terminal consists of six optical transceivers evenly distributed around the body of the spacecraft to provide omnidirectional coverage. The transceivers will be fully integrated into and commanded by a fast processor. The small satellite will have a coherent modulation architecture operating at around 1550 nanometers. The transmitter design to be pursued during this project includes a distributed feedback laser diode, a phase modulator, an optical amplifier, a circulator, and a collimator. All these components will be connected by optical fibers. The seed laser will produce a 10-milliwatt laser beam, which is passed through the phase modulator where it is modulated at high speeds (10-100 gigabit per second). After the modulator, the modulated beam is boosted via an optical amplifier and passed through a collimator to generate a collimated, high-power beam. The collimator launches the beam into free space and directs it to a steering mirror for coverage of its field of regard. It is envisioned that the system could achieve transmission speeds as high as 100 gigabit per second.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.