RINCON RESEARCH CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: J201-CSO1

Description

Rincon Research Corporation (RRC) has developed a low-cost, passive Radio Frequency (RF)-based system that generates high-accuracy tracking observations using the RF signals broadcast by active satellites. RRC has demonstrated that this system can track active Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO), GEO Transfer Orbit (GTO), and super-GEO satellites 24x7 in all weather, and the resulting orbit determination/ephemeris accuracy is more than an order of magnitude more accurate than current Space Surveillance Network (SSN) and Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) capabilities. Radars are not suited to cislunar tracking due to the distances involved, and optical techniques suffer from both distance and the presence of an extremely bright object (the Moon) in the field of regard. Passive RF can track any signal designed to be received by stations on the ground, including weak signals intended for receipt by large antennas, and thus should be well-suited to cislunar Space Domain Awareness (SDA). In Phase I, we will demonstrate the use of passive RF techniques to track satellites in the cislunar region, raising the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of passive RF cislunar tracking from 5 to 6, and setting the stage for a Phase II prototype demonstration.