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Completed TRL 5 (started at 4, targeting 6)
NASA has partnered with the John’s Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to conduct a flight demonstration of wideband terminal technology. The Polylingual Experimental Terminal, known as PExT, has the objective of demonstrating contact and link management, as well as forward and return data flow, with interoperability between NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellites and at least two commercial relay providers. PExT will be the first flight test of wideband technology.
After the six-month flight demonstration has concluded, the Wideband Commercialization Project at Glenn will continue the development and progression of wideband technology by identifying potential NASA missions as early adopters and working with them to procure wideband terminals suitable for their use.
Wideband terminals are transceivers that operate over both government and commercial Ka-band spectrum allocations. This roaming capability, enabled by wideband technology, can give spacecraft the ability to seamlessly connect to various communications networks, allowing for multi-access points of services, lower latency, and lower costs.
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