Utilization of Materials International Space Station Flight Facility to Advance TRL of Seed Laser for Space-Based Lidar Measurements

The overall goal of the SBIR effort is advancement of the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of a diode-based, locked-wavelength, seed laser system being developed under the NASA SBIR Program. This laser system is applicable for seeding next generation pulsed lasers for lidars identified in the recent Decadal Survey. To achieve this goal, AdvR is proposing to utilize the Materials International Space Station Experiment Flight Facility (MISSE-FF) for fielding an active experiment that will test all of the key components of the seed laser system, most of which have been successfully integrated into NASA High Spectral Resolution Lidar aircraft missions, but none of which have been in an actual space environment. Exposure and successful operation of AdvR-developed seed laser system in a relevant space environment will allow advancement to TRL 7, thus directly addressing the NASA SBIR topic Z4.01 MISSE Experiments call for “space technologies already developed under the NASA SBIR Program that would mature in TRL due to successful demonstration in the space environment".

Designated Class Mission for Aerosols, NASA LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) Explorer Class Mission for winds and methane, NASA LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) Incubator Class Technology for water vapor, NASA LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) Future upgrades to the following airborne lidars (to reduce SWAP ) -Airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL), NASA LaRC (Hostetler, Cook, et al.) -Airborne High Altitude Lidar Observatory (HALO), NASA LaRC (Nehrir, et al.)

Seed laser source for pulsed lasers Seed laser source for amplifiers Laser source stabilization Commercial lidar systems Single frequency green lasers for underwater imaging Environmental and pollution monitoring Fiber and free-space communications

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.