NASA SBIR 2014 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Scientific Systems Company, Inc.
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn, MA 01801 - 6562
(781) 933-5355

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jovan Boskovic
jovan@ssci.com
500 West Cummings Park Suite 3000
Woburn, MA 01801 - 6562
(781) 933-5355 Extension :250

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Jay Miselis
contracts@ssci.com
500 West Cummings Park, Suite 3000
Woburn, MA 01801 - 6562
(781) 933-5355 Extension :228

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 2
End: 3

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Spacecraft Autonomy and Space Mission Automation 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)
SSCI, in collaboration with University of Texas, Austin (UTA), proposes to develop, integrate, implement and test a novel framework for the design and performance evaluation of Guidance, Naviagation & Control algorithms for spacecraft Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR\&D). The framework is referred to as the GUARD (GUidance, Navigation and Control for AR\&D), and will include a suite of advanced navigation, optimal trajectory generation, Failure Detection and Identification (FDI), and constrained adaptive fault-tolerant guidance and control algorithms that can be tailored to a specific AR&D mission and tested with respect to a given set of requirements and specifications. Specific Phase I tasks include: (i) Develop GN&C-oriented and high-fidelity dynamic models for AR&D; (ii) Develop Optimal AR&D Algorithms under non-convex constraints; (iii) Develop Constrained Control Algorithms; (iv) Integrate the G&C Algorithms with Vision-based Navigation Algorithm; and (v) Carry out initial simulation testing & performance evaluation. Phase II will be focused on further maturation of the approach, rigorous Verification and Validation of the overall GUARD system, and its implementation on an experimental test bed at UTA. Dr. Behcet Acikmese of UTA will be our subcontractor under the project.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
NASA future mission include AR\&D and proximity operations at asteroids and other primitive bodies where the GUARD technology will be directly applicable. In addition, Dr. Acikmese will work with NASA Flight Opportunities Program to carry out suborbital test flights with two micro-spacecraft (cubesat) to demonstrate the AR&D capability.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
SpaceX and Planetary Resources Inc. are two recently established companies. SpaceX has an ongoing interest in AR\&D, and Planetary Resources is interested in mining an asteroid. The GUARD technology will be directly applicable to their missions.