NASA SBIR 2012 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Trident Systems Inc.
10201 Fairfax Blvd, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22030 - 2222
(703) 273-1012

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Albert Burgstahler
alburg@tridsys.com
10201 Fairfax Blvd, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22030 - 2222
(703) 691-7766

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Bonnie Edwards
bonnie@tridsys.com
10201 Fairfax Blvd, Suite 300
Fairfax, VA 22030 - 2222
(703) 691-7794

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 4

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Microwave Technologies for Remote Sensing is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
Radar technology offers a very flexible, powerful tool for applications such as object detection, tracking, and characterization, as well as remote sensing, imaging, sounding, weather measurement and analysis. Historically, radar systems have tended to be either large, complex, power-hungry, purpose-built systems, or extremely simple systems of limited capability. More recently, miniaturization of high-performance programmable integrated circuit technologies as embodied in field-programmable gate arrays, as well as rapid advances in high-speed data conversion technologies at a gigasample per second and beyond, have enabled the implementation of direct-conversion radio frequency (RF) systems, including radar, that operate almost completely in the digital domain. In addition, solid-state high-power RF device technologies have improved in efficiency and speed to the point where highly efficient pulsed transmit sources are possible. As these device technologies have matured, their application in space environments has accelerated to the point where extremely flexible programmable radar systems can be implemented in a very small size, weight, and power footprint. Trident Systems has developed a powerful radar architecture called RAPTOR, validating it through flight testing on a number of Department of Defense programs; initial analysis has shown the feasibility of transitioning this design to the space environment. Through a comprehensive program of requirements development, trade studies, critical component and design analyses, fault mitigation simulation, and system design, Trident will develop the design for a complete space-qualifiable UHF/L-band radar transceiver in a 96mm x 90mm x 31mm PC-104e form factor that meets all customer mission needs, and is applicable to a wide range of applications (NASA and others). By basing the solution on Trident's proven RAPTOR technology, the system will rapidly achieve a high TRL.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The proposed digital radar transceiver will support a range of NASA missions, including synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging, moving object detection and tracking in surface and volume search applications, object and surface characterization and identification, remote sensing, sounding, and navigation. Trident's Reconfigurable Adaptive Programmable Tactical Open Radar (RAPTOR) architecture is extremely scalable, configurable, and programmable, enabling support for a wide range of radar modes, on a pulse-to-pulse, or CPI-to-CPI (coherent processing interval) basis, as well as flexibility in system topology, supporting bistatic-multistatic and MIMO configurations. Trident's staff has extensive background in supporting NASA missions and our strategy for this project is to design and develop a long-term, miniaturized common building block, fully reprogrammable on-board processor board suitable for potential technology insertion into NASA's planned Earth science missions including DESDynI, GRACE FO, SWOT, and PACE, as well as supporting pre-formulation studies for the OCO-3 instrument, CLARREO, ASCENDS, ACE, GEO-CAPE, HypIRI, as well as the Venture class science technology demonstration projects. The results of this project will also support technology insertion in NASA Planetary science missions currently under formulation including the New Frontiers OSIRIS-Rex.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The proposed digital radar transceiver has significant application for defense and other government applications, where its small size, weight, and power footprint make it applicable to rapid-response small satellite missions for intelligence collection and remote sensing. Its FPGA-based digital programmability also offers flexibility for implementation of capabilities beyond simple radar, including software defined radio, on a common set of hardware.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.)

Electromagnetic Image Capture (Stills/Motion) Microwave