Dual-Wavelength Small All-range Lidar for Navigation and Water Ice Detection

We propose to improve our Small All-range LIdar (SALI) to enable water ice mapping and other minor modifications to extend its measurement capability to support NASA’s Moon-to-Mars program. The new lidar will be capable of topographic mapping, autonomous navigation and control, and on- and off-line differential absorption measurement for surface water ice detection. We will also investigate options to further reduce the instrument cost for new lunar orbital and landing mission opportunities.

Develops new area-scan lidar technology with lower mass, power, and cost; Enables simultaneous range and velocity measurements with high precision; Creates multi-function laser altimeter and velocimeter system for planetary exploration

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.