mmWave Inter-Satellite Transceiver

Future spacecraft will require services offering higher data rates than those supported today and with improved SWAP and performance. Complicating the environment in which these technologies operate is the shortage of available and interference free radio spectrum. While the incremental advances in equipment design and performance in X, Ka bands requested in this topic may meet some of these future needs, MaXentric believes that developing equipment to provide high bandwidth communication services in as yet underutilized spectrum, namely the Inter-Satellite band 59-71 GHz, offers a higher return on investment and a more significant capability enhancement. The recent rapid commercialization of the E and V Bands (71-76, 81-86 and 60GHz) for terrestrial use has driven the development of a large, cost sensitive market place for RF components that didn't exist even a few years ago. In this proposal MaXentric suggests revisiting the utility of these frequencies for space based high data rate communications by developing and demonstrating a high data rate transceiver for the range 59-71 GHz. As a Phase 1 and 2 participant in Darpa's Fractionated Satellite ("F6", 60GHz, 1Gbps) , Mobile Hotspot UAV ("MHS", E Band, 1Gbps) and Microscale Power Conversion ("MPC") programs, MaXentric is in a unique position to design, develop and demonstrate a small, low SWAP, high data rate, power efficient, 59-71 GHz transceiver that could be incorporated into NASA's SCaN Integrated Network Architecture in the future. This capability would not be restricted by availability of spectrum and has other inherent advantages because the attenuation of Earth's atmosphere reduces interference and associated coordination requirements. MaXentric believes the availability of almost 12 GHz of unrestricted communications bandwidth provides a very significant opportunity for the provision of high data rate services.

The inter- satellite transceiver could be used as a modular component of the future integrated SCaN network. This would add a set of inter-platform high data rate communications services in the underutilized 59-71 GHz band that could be used for both NASA and commercial missions. As an example the transceiver could be added to a future TDRS platform.

This transceiver would have potential applications as a communications link for: Earth imaging constellations such as is being constructed by Planet Labs Point to point data links for cellular backhaul UAV's

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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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