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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
Advanced terrain imaging with communication signals: Test-bed development for sub-orbital platforms:
The goal of the currently proposed effort is to develop a radio/sensing test-bed that will support the development and demonstration of combined communications/navigation and sensing capabilities.
The test bed will be used to collect high fidelity, spatially diverse, polarization diverse RF measurements. These data will be post-processed to yield terrain images and, simultaneously, data communications. A long-term goal of this effort is to demonstrate advanced terrain imaging techniques using signals from GPS satellites. The intention here is to develop processing techniques and RF system architectures that can be readily transferred to other paradigms such as communications terminals used for planetary missions.
RF communications mapping and its extension to an antenna array will identify RF technologies and system configurations that will support a combined communications and sensing instrument that is suitable for mapping planetary terrain. Identification of better methods to form terrain maps using communications terminal will inform the development of high-level designs for transmitter and receiver hardware for operational RF communications/sensing terminals.
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