Vastly Improved Search for Interstellar Asteroids, Year 1

The first interstellar object (ISO) (Oumuamua) was detected after 10 years of observations. The proposed concept would be able to find 10X more Interstellar Objects at a ~100X lower cost as compared to the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) under construction. Higher detection rates require detection of fast moving objects and searching a wide field of view. Once a dozen of ISOs have been detected, NASA may consider sending a probe to “flyby or rendezvous” with an ISO. Key innovation is the combination of advanced synthetic tracking, to detect objects moving at high speeds, with low cost small wide FOV telescopes using large format (150Mpix) CMOS sensors. This task will demonstrate a proof of concept using the algorithms on a single telescope.

Cluster of small telescopes with synthetic tracking to increase Interstellar Object discovery rate by > 100X and, eventually, to enable a future flyby mission.

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.

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.