LEO Debris Tracking and Remediation Using Advanced Beam Control

A high level system design for detecting, tracking and delivering a pre-compensated pulsed laser beam to LEO debris will be developed. The system will employ Rayleigh and sodium guidestars and multiple adaptive optics loops with high resolution deformable mirrors. Analysis will be performed to establish technical requirements and assess expected performance and efficacy. Funding will support the necessary research, design, and analysis work. Target market are NASA LEO debris mitigation in particular, but may also include free-space optical communication with ground and satellite terminals, astronomy, and long-range imaging.

This technology is explicitly directed at remediation of the LEO small debris cloud that currently threatens all NASA LEO programs and assets. If successful, this innovation will enable key space-based assets to remain safe from damage due to debris impact reducing the cost of replacing these assets. Technology improvements to be developed under this program will enable higher quality imaging of space and other long-range objects both in terms of resolution and stability. This has a direct impact on all imaging applications, but also offers improvements in optical data communications due to improved signal-to-noise ratio, which translates to higher data rates. In this regard, this technology will have application in both space and terrestrial communications, potentially as line-of-sight replacements for optical fiber installations. Given the recent commercial push toward high data-rate, wide area communications using space-based transceivers and relay stations, this technology may also find use in implementing reliable, fast optical ground-to-space data links needed to support large scale operations on a world-wide basis. The laser technology required for altering orbital trajectories of small debris in orbit may find use in delaying orbit decay for some space-borne assets (by applying small orbital boost capability over long durations), or if operating in CW mode, power beaming to assets in LEO to boost battery charge state.

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.