Tracking Launch Vehicles in Interference and Jamming, Phase II

During the Phase I program, MARK Resources very successfully demonstrated the feasibility of using several distributed small and simple FRPAs that do not need to be precisely arranged, to suppress wideband interference and/or jamming and to provide sufficiently accurate and timely position and velocity measurements from the C/A code for launch vehicle range safety, antenna pointing, and attitude determination. The new technology, demonstrated via software simulation, is compatible with existing launch-capable GPS antennas and receiver hardware, and requires the addition of cabling and a common processor (and can accommodate channel mismatch in the receivers or added hardware). The processing load for jammer suppression is small, less than that for GPS signal tracking. The Phase I program employed signal simulation at the intermediate frequency (IF) of the receivers, after digitization. During Phase II, we propose to develop a demonstration unit consisting of launch-compatible antenna and receiver hardware plus processing software; and to measure its performance using a high-fidelity RF simulation.

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.