INTELLISENSE SYSTEMS INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: Z8

Description

To address the NASA need for enabling communication and navigation technologies for distributed small spacecraft beyond low Earth orbit, Intellisense Systems Inc. (Intellisense) proposes to develop a new Multi-Beam Autonomous Multi-Aperture Transceiver (M-BEAMAR) for optical navigation of distributed CubeSats. The proposed free-space-optical (FSO) navigation transceiver for inter-CubeSat and/or lunar surface communication is based on multi-aperture tiling of wide field-of-view (FOV) multi-beam transceiver modules with no moving parts. The innovations in the use of wide FOV optics and digital micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) switching with IR focal plane array (FPA) tracking and avalanche photodiode array detection will enable a modular compact integration of the proposed system capable of scanning multiple, simultaneous laser beams for providing robust connectivity between CubeSats and/or from CubeSats to the lunar surface. In Phase I, Intellisense will develop a viable conceptual design of M-BEAMAR that satisfies NASArsquo;s communication and navigation requirements, including SWaP-C, relative and absolute position, timing, FOV, pointing and tracking, and link power budget, demonstrate the designrsquo;s feasibility by prototyping and testing key enabling technologies, and develop a Phase II plan. In Phase II, Intellisense will develop a prototype of the M-BEAMAR system that will be integrated with a commercial off-the-shelf or government off-the-shelf FSO modem to support laboratory testing and field demonstration towards development into space-qualifiable and commercially available CubeSat communication payloads.