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Completed TRL 7 (started at 5, targeting 7)
The ISARA mission will demonstrate a Ka-band reflectarray antenna that will increase downlink data rates for small spacecraft from the typical existing rates of about 10 kilobits per second (kbps) to approximately 100 megabits per second (Mbps). This technology maintains compatibility with existing ground stations and is extensible to antennas for radar systems. For the demonstration mission, the reflectarray antenna has been integrated onto the back side of a commercial deployable solar array that is easily stowed along the body of the 3U CubeSat.
The radio communication technology flown on ISARA has the potential to greatly increase the data downlink capability for CubeSats to up to 100 Mb/s while maintaining compatibility with legacy ground stations. This will extend the capability of CubeSats and further enable their use for CubeSats high value data-intensive science missions. Additionally the antenna technology is directly applicable to radar instruments and could enable new remote sensing capabilities within the CubeSat form factor.
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This is a mature technology (TRL 7) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.
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