Reconfigurable, Multipurpose Detection Systems for Small Satellites

Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)

Description

This research effort seeks to advance detection systems to enable versatile, miniaturized lidar and laser communication instruments suitable for small satellite platforms. By exploring low-cost detector technologies, along with field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based reconfigurable readout and processing circuits, this project seeks to develop a prototype receiver system that can enable a range of lidar and laser communication applications. This work builds off of the ongoing Concurrent Artificially-intelligent Spectrometry and Adaptive Lidar System (CASALS) project at NASA GSFC and the CubeSat Laser Infrared CrosslinK (CLICK) project at MIT. A novel, low-cost receiver will be developed based on the work on CASALs and CLICK, including the system modelling and simulation and the design of the FPGA-based reconfigurable readout circuits.

Benefits

The ultimate goal of this project is to develop these compact, efficient, highly sensitive single photon detectors that are critical for lidar instruments in a modular, versatile, and therefore cost-effective manner. This will contribute to enabling lidar systems for widespread use on small satellite and CubeSat platforms, with the potential to realize large scale advancements in Earth Science.

Details

Technology area	Sensors and Instruments > Remote Sensing Instruments and Sensors > Electronics
Program	Space Technology Research Grants (STRG)
Lead organization	Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Start date	2021-08-30
End date	2025-09-15

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Guangning Yang — guangning.yang-1@nasa.gov
Kerri Cahoy
Hannah N Tomio — hannah.n.tomio@nasa.gov

How to get involved

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 2) — 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.

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