High Resolution, Range/Range-Rate Imager, Phase I

Visidyne proposes to develop a design for a small, lightweight, high resolution, in x, y, and z Doppler imager to assist in the guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) of satellites as for a chaser-target vehicle type scenario. It could therefore be used for rendezvous, circumnavigation, inspection and docking. Key elements for the design are Visidyne?s patented imaging LADAR or monocular 3-D camera design and an innovative, CCD chip extracted from MIT/Lincoln Laboratory, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). A novel feature is the ability to cancel, null any gross relative motions between vehicles, thereby greatly improving on the achievable attitude, pose precision.

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.