SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
M42 Technologies, LLC
8043 Ashworth Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103 - 4432
(206) 792-5852

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Nestor Voronka
NVoronka@M42Tech.com
8043 Ashworth Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103 - 4432
(206) 792-5852

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Nestor Voronka
NVoronka@M42Tech.com
8043 Ashworth Avenue North
Seattle, WA 98103 - 4432
(206) 792-5852

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 4
End: 6

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Guidance, Navigation and Control 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)
M42 Technologies is proposing to continue development of a RF based crosslink with relative navigation and time transfer capabilities to enable autonomous precision formation flying (PFF) of spacecraft as small as nanosatellites (1 to 10 kg). The solution consists of a multi-channel software defined radio (SDR), and innovative signaling and processing to enable CubeSat scaled spacecraft to measure positions with centimeter to sub-millimeter-level precision positioning (Technical Area (TA) 5.4.4) thereby providing new capabilities such as autonomous rendezvous and docking (AR&D), and precision formation flying (PFF) both for human and robotic exploration missions. In addition, this proposed solution provides for inter-satellite nanosecond-level time transfer capability (TA 5.4.1) improving absolute navigation.

This proposed effort will build on the demonstrated results of the Phase I SBIR, and will focus on improving performance, developing and delivering a prototype CubeSat-scaled radiometric SDR-based navigation solution that with autonomous position, navigation and time (PNT) capabilities.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Improvements in position, navigation and timing (PNT) can benefit both human and robotic spacecraft as they will facilitate higher quality data return from science instruments and enable mission operation concepts such as precise landing and deep-space formation flying. The proposed technology provides multi-platform relative navigation and timing that directly supports cooperative and collaborative space platform operations and will advance autonomous navigation thereby by reducing reliance on Earth-based systems and reducing overall cost. The solution also supports coordinated nanosatellite formation and swarm operations to enable radio frequency (RF) and electro-optical (EO) distributed aperture operations. Two design reference missions were identified during the Phase I effort that represent currently science and exploration needs and potential infusion points into future NASA programs.

The multipurpose SDR can also change its function with mission phase and requirements, and will be able to sense and adapt to its RF environment to improve communications all within CubeSat compatible size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints.

For example, the SDR-based can also be configured and program to receive and process signals from external sources such as the TDRSS Augmentation System for Satellites (TASS) (also known as Next Generation Broadcast Service or NGBS) which is a global, space-based, communications and navigation service for users in low-Earth orbit.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The proposed solution also has great potential in a variety of military and pure commercial applications and in particular for cluster and fractionated spacecraft. Potential commercial applications may include: 1. multi-static synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system for all-weather Earth observing remote sensing,2. Multi-ball spectrum utilization and geolocation constellations to map out spectrum use and interference sources, 3. Small satellite constellations that provice global communication (voice, data, internet, etc.) that use crosslinks for network connectivity to enable todays advanced modulations such as LTE that require that all network nodes have accurate time and frequency knowledge. 4. Constellations that use MIMO communication and/or distributed RF beamforming to increase range and or communication data throughput.