Field Testing of Wind and Weather Lidar for Mars Exploration and Atmospheric Science

We have developed two atmospheric lidar approaches for Mars, both of which are currently TRL 3 to 4. The first is a wind lidar (Mini-MARLI) for Mars orbit which will make wind profile measurements of Mars from the surface to 50 km altitude for the entire globe. The other is surface-based lidar (the Laser Atmospheric Profiling System, LAPS) which will measure real-time vertical profiles of winds, water vapor, dust, and aerosols from the surface to 30 km from a stationary lander. Both instruments are targeted for infusion into the Moon to Mars program and support weather monitoring and forecasting for Mars. In FY27 we propose to combine these two hardware assemblies and perform field experiments at GSFC to demonstrate the ability to measure aerosol backscatter, winds, and water vapor profiles. These experiments will be crucial for obtaining system-level data and informing instrument performance models and engineering trades.

Combined field experiments at GSFC demonstrating aerosol backscatter, wind, and water vapor profiling; system-level data informing instrument performance models and engineering trades; Mini-MARLI and LAPS advanced from TRL 3-4 toward flight-readiness.

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.