Atmospheric Winds LIDAR Profiler

Systems & Processes Engineering Corporation (SPEC) is proposing an Atmospheric Winds LIDAR Profiler system to improve understanding and study of atmospheric 3D winds conditions while fitting in a CubeSat-style (1000 cm2) volume. The planned system is a single-channel fiber optic-based, eye-safe wind LADAR that includes a MEMS inertial measurement unit (IMU), image comparison, and GPS inputs to obtain a global stabilized coordinate 3D image which allows coherent updating. This feature is key for the wind detection function, as it allows coherent voxel updates over a second, necessary for detecting low speed air currents and determining the vector direction of the air current using changing view angle during pitching and direction changes. The system utilizes telecom fiber components to achieve low cost and miniature sizing. The proposed system will combine mature LIDAR and LADAR system elements already within the SPEC product portfolio.

Applications include sensing of 3D winds along the entire atmospheric air column from sea level to the stratopause. Capturing wind velocity information throughout the atmosphere is a significant opportunity to improve and enhance current atmospheric fluid models, leading to benefits such as better flight vehicle design and flight planning, improved climate modeling, and improved weather forecasting – which has benefits both for civilians and for NASA flight planners, who can be better prepared for weather impacts when making future schedules.

The most significant worldwide application is dramatically improved flight safety instrumentation for all commercial aircraft. Other applications range from atmospheric, weather prediction, and climate science to airframe engineering and design, light aircraft wind mapping, wind field detection for airports and wind turbine fields, and for pollution and hazardous gas release mapping.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 6) — 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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