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Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)
This proposed program addresses the need for a spaceborne phased array radar system that operates simultaneously at multiple frequency bands for future NASA remote sensing missions dedicated to answering emerging fundamental questions associated with aerosols, clouds, air quality and ecosystems. We will deliver active, electronically scanned array tiles at Ku- and Ka-band utilizing the Nuvotronics PolyStrata® technology for integration alongside an electronically scanned W-band array to form a tri-band system. The PolyStrata® wafer-scale microfabrication process, with capabilities to monolithically integrate dielectric-free antennas with air-coax feed networks in 3D, is a key enabler for achieving state-of-the art performance requirements and manufacturing scalability. Unprecedented power levels will be achieved by integrating state-of-the art GaN MMICs into the PolyStrata front-end architecture.
The proposed solution applies to future Earth science remote sensing missions including: Tri-band cloud and precipitation radar systems for Aerosols/Clouds/Ecosystems (ACE) mission and the Cloud and Precipitation Processes Mission (CaPPM) for vision beyond GPM; and the Snow and Cold Land Processes (SCLP) mission. Additionally, this technology has applications in planetary landing radars such as what is used for the Mars Science Laboratory mission.
Military applications: microwave and millimeter-wave active electronically scanned radar systems for rotorcraft landing in degraded visual environment (e.g. brown-out conditions); guided missile seekers; non-lethal active denial directive energy systems; unmanned aerial system collision avoidance.
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