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Cross Layer Spectrum Aware Cognitive Control Plane and Intelligent Routing Engine (CLAIRE)

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Description

AiRANACULUS and partners proposes an innovative Cross Layer Spectrum Aware Cognitive Control Plane and Intelligent Routing Engine (CLAIRE) solution to increase mission science data return, improve resource efficiencies for NASA missions and communication networks and ensure resilience in the unpredictable space environment. An Autonomous Intelligent Reconfiguration system is envisioned to sense, detect, adapt, and learn from its experiences and environment to optimize the communications capabilities for the lunar surface, lunar proximity and cislunar network infrastructure. The NASA CLAIRE CCRPP project will enhance the TRL (5 to 7) and MRL (4 to 6) of the technologies developed through NASA CLAIRE project (Contract #80NSSC21C0510 same name adopted) which completed Phase II and Phase II-E. The CCRPP will also leverage the work been carried out on NASA INSPiRE Project (Contract # 80NSSC22CA141) where Phase II has been completed and Phase II-E is on-going. CLAIRE provides wide-band Radio Frequency (RF) sensing, cognitive control plane as an APP, interference mitigation techniques, autonomous channel assignments and congestion aware packet forwarding. INSPiRE builds on CLAIRE and provides spectrum and interference aware routing, network slicing over heterogeneous multivendor network to maintain Quality of Service (QoS), policy-based prioritization and INSPiRE enhanced HDTN Contact Graph Routing (CGR). CLAIRE engages in local link level optimization, INSPiRE engages in global optimization of the network for a wide variety of users. In this project, CLAIRE and INSPiRE will interface with the Glenn Research Center (GRC) Cognitive Engine (CE). CLAIRE and INSPiRE functionality will be integrated into TES CubeSat, and flight tested. CLAIRE and INSPiRE will be integrated into Nokia Banshee Mobile Radio (BMR) and 5G O-RAN platform provided by Nvidia / Radisys / Juniper. Together, this will demonstrate resilient wireless operation on lunar surface and lunar proximity networks.

Benefits

CLAIRE and INSPiRE provide following Capabilities and Applications: • CLAIRE APP enabled Cognitive Control Plane provides spectrum and network situational awareness. Application Layer Heartbeat (HTBT) messages may be sent over any IP-enabled network. This enables Link Optimization using Dynamic Spectrum Access / Dynamic Channel Assignment and Dynamic Bandwidth Adaptation. • Wide-Band RF Sensing with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning enables detection and characterization of interference with >90% Probability of Correct Classification of Interference with <10% False Alarms • Interference mitigation and congestion control for ANY radio and network. Provides >90% throughput improvement in presence of interference – CLAIRE and INSPiRE provide Interference Mitigation and Congestion Control techniques such as Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA), Interference and Congestion Aware Packet Forwarding (IAPF), Spectrum and Interference Aware Routing (SIAR). • INSPiRE enhanced HDTN Contact Graph Routing - CLAIRE and INSPiRE provide DTN access to a comprehensive global network context, making possible the identification of optimized transmissions for bundles. This leads to enhanced Contact Graph Routing (CGR) enabling routing optimization by selecting outducts for bundle transmissions. • CLAIRE and INSPiRE provide Spectrum and Network Situational Awareness – Enables NASA to autonomously find and fix the root cause of service quality degradation. • Network Slicing over heterogeneous multi-vendor network to maintain QoS – provides 10x improvement in communications quality in presence of interference and congestion. • INSPiRE / CLAIRE enhance COTS 4G/5G and NTN - NASA can leverage commercial open solutions that can scale. AiRANACULUS' motto is Intelligent RF and Networking from Space to Smart Cities. Our mission is to make ALL radios robust and resilient to interference and congestion using advanced signal processing and machine learning-based solutions. Our CLAIRE and INSPiRE technologies offer scalable solutions for Next-Gen Communications, Radar, Electronic Warfare, and SIGINT applications. These technologies apply across commercial terrestrial (3G/4G/5G/Wi-Fi), space (LEO/MEO/GEO/Relays/Gateways), and backhaul (Optical Fiber/Coax) networks, with built-in security and privacy, making them ideal for DoD, DHS, NSA, FAA, and other federal agencies. Key Applications of CLAIRE and INSPiRE: 1. Advanced Communications (5G/6G): o Enhances interference and congestion tolerance for future 5G/6G networks. o Addresses the private 5G market, projected to reach $665B by 2028. o Collaboration with the Army on next-gen anti-jam systems. 2. Command and Control (C2) Constructs: o Empowers SATCOM, military, and cellular radios with cognitive capabilities via RF and cross-layer sensing. o Supports Joint All Domain C2 (JADC2) and ABMS by enabling technology-agnostic control. o Ensures critical data delivery with network slicing for heterogeneous networks. 3. Wideband Sensing & Interference Management: o Telecom operators spend $600M annually on interference detection; our solutions accelerate detection and localization. o AiRANACULUS contributes to Intelligence Community programs for RF anomaly detection. 4. Space Applications (LEO/MEO/GEO): o Addresses interference challenges between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. o Developed a multi-channel wide-band receiver for NASA’s Artemis Moon Mission and LunaNet, ensuring high-throughput, interference-free communications. Our technology is poised to revolutionize both commercial and defense communication landscapes, ensuring seamless connectivity and resilient operations.

Details

Technology areaCommunications, Navigation, and Orbital Debris Tracking and Characterization Systems
ProgramSmall Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer (SBIR/STTR)
Lead organizationA10 Systems Inc. d/b/a AiRANACULUS, MA
Start date2026-04-06
End date2028-04-05

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