MIDAS: Multispectral Imaging and Data Acquisition Service

OptoKnowledge is expanding capabilities for observing launch, reentry, and other hypersonic test events that have been identified as national priorities in aerospace and defense by maturing the technology developed under prior SBIR efforts to make available cutting-edge scientific quality multispectral imaging as a service. Working with NASA's Scientifically Calibrated In-Flight Imagery (SCIFLI) team, OptoKnowledge previously developed the SCIFLI Airborne Multispectral Imager (SAMI) as part of an SBIR effort. Under MIDAS, the unique synchronized plume and hard body imaging technology will be matured and coupled with imaging spectrometer capabilities that support thermal protection system (TPS) characterization. This combined capability will provide a consistent, reliable, seamless imaging solution to support mission critical data collections. The MIDAS service will cover from pre-mission planning and simulation, through data acquisition on various air and ground platforms, and to post-processing for image enhancement and extraction of quantities of interest. The service developed under MIDAS will be flexible and responsive, with redundancies in hardware and standardized interfaces enabling rapid deployment for a wide range of missions. Preparation time, processing time for final data products, and cost for imaging missions will be reduced.

The service developed under MIDAS will be available to the SCIFLI team as they continue to support a broad range of NASA applications, from missions including Artemis, OSIRIS-REx, the commercial crew program, and sample return capsule entries. All NASA programs requiring scientific remote imaging will benefit from the enhanced capability, increased responsiveness and reliability, more efficient preparation and processing, and lower costs developed under MIDAS.

OptoKnowledge will work with SCIFLI to provide imaging support to their many non-NASA government and commercial partners for launch, entry, and other hypersonics applications that will benefit from the capabilities, efficiencies, and redundancies developed under MIDAS. In addition, OptoKnowledge will directly provide planning, simulation, and processing services matured under this effort.

This is a mature technology (TRL 9) — 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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